How to Use Word Mail Merge With SharePoint List

You need to send personalized letters, emails, or labels to a group of people whose contact information is stored in a SharePoint list. Word’s mail merge feature can pull data directly from that SharePoint list instead of requiring you to export or copy the data first. This article explains how to connect Word to a SharePoint list, select the recipients, insert merge fields, and complete the merge. You will also learn how to handle common connection problems and formatting issues.

How Word Mail Merge Works With SharePoint Lists

The Word mail merge feature normally reads recipient data from an Excel worksheet, an Outlook contact folder, or an Access database. When the data lives in a SharePoint list, Word must connect to the SharePoint site using a data connection file. This file stores the site URL, list name, and authentication method so Word can retrieve the rows and columns from the list.

The prerequisite is that you have at least read access to the SharePoint list. The list must contain a column for each piece of information you want to merge, such as First Name, Last Name, Email, Address, or Department. SharePoint lists that use lookup columns, calculated columns, or attachments may require additional handling because Word may not read these field types correctly.

The mail merge process uses the Data Connection Wizard built into Word on Windows. Word for the web and Word for Mac do not support the Data Connection Wizard, so this method works only with the Word desktop application on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Steps to Run a Mail Merge From a SharePoint List

1. Open Word and start the mail merge document
   Open the Word desktop app. Create a new blank document or open an existing letter template. Go to the Mailings tab on the ribbon. Click Start Mail Merge and choose the document type: Letters, E-mail Messages, Envelopes, or Labels.
2. Select the SharePoint list as the data source
   On the Mailings tab, click Select Recipients and choose Use an Existing List. In the Select Data Source dialog box, click the New Source button. The Data Connection Wizard opens. In the wizard, select SharePoint List from the list of data source types and click Next.
3. Enter the SharePoint site URL
   Type the full URL of the SharePoint site that contains the list. For example: https://yourcompany.sharepoint.com/sites/YourSite. Click Next. Word attempts to connect to the site. If prompted, sign in with your Microsoft 365 account credentials that have access to the site.
4. Select the specific SharePoint list
   After the connection succeeds, Word displays a list of available lists and libraries on that site. Select the list that contains your recipient data. Click Next. In the next screen, you can optionally save the connection file (.odc) to reuse later. Click Finish.
5. Filter or sort the recipient list
   Back in Word, click Edit Recipient List on the Mailings tab. The Mail Merge Recipients dialog shows all rows from the SharePoint list. You can clear checkboxes to exclude specific recipients, or click Filter to show only rows that match criteria such as Department equals Sales. Click OK when done.
6. Insert merge fields into the document
   Place your cursor where you want a field value to appear. On the Mailings tab, click Insert Merge Field and select the column name from the list. For example, insert First_Name for a greeting line. Repeat for each field: Last Name, Address, City, etc. Add any punctuation or spacing between fields manually.
7. Preview the merged results
   Click Preview Results on the Mailings tab. Word replaces the merge fields with actual data from the first recipient. Use the left and right arrow buttons in the Preview Results group to page through recipients and verify the output looks correct.
8. Complete the merge
   Click Finish & Merge on the Mailings tab. Choose Edit Individual Documents to generate a new Word document with one page per recipient. Choose Print Documents to send directly to a printer. Choose Send E-mail Messages to send as individual emails if your list has an Email column.

Common Problems When Merging With a SharePoint List

Word cannot connect to the SharePoint site

This error usually appears because the site URL is incorrect, the account does not have permissions, or the SharePoint site is not accessible from the current network. Verify the site URL by copying it from your browser address bar. Sign out of all Microsoft 365 accounts in Word by going to File > Account > Sign Out, then sign in again with the correct account. If your organization uses a VPN, ensure the VPN is connected.

Some columns from the SharePoint list do not appear in Insert Merge Field

Word does not display lookup columns, calculated columns, or managed metadata columns in the merge field list. The data connection wizard reads only simple text, number, date, and choice columns. To include lookup values, add a workflow or Power Automate flow that copies the lookup value into a plain text column, then use that text column in the merge.

Merge fields show blank values for some recipients

Blank values occur when the SharePoint list column is empty for that row. Check the list directly in SharePoint to confirm data exists. If the column contains spaces or special characters, Word may not match the field name correctly. Rename the column in SharePoint to use underscores instead of spaces, then re-create the data connection in Word.

The merge produces a document with only one page instead of many

This happens when the recipient list is empty or when the filter excludes all rows. Open the Mail Merge Recipients dialog and verify that at least one recipient has a checkmark. If the list shows zero records, the connection to the SharePoint list may have failed silently. Delete the data connection in Word and repeat the New Source steps.

Word Desktop vs Word for Web: SharePoint Mail Merge Capabilities

Item	Word Desktop (Windows)	Word for Web
Data Connection Wizard	Available	Not available
SharePoint list as data source	Supported	Not supported
Filter and sort recipients	Full filter and sort dialogs	Not available
Insert merge fields	All simple columns	Not available
Preview results	Per-recipient preview	Not available
Finish merge (print or email)	To new document, printer, or email	Not available

Word for Mac does not include the Data Connection Wizard either. Users on Mac must export the SharePoint list to an Excel file and then use that Excel file as the data source in Word for Mac.

You can now connect Word to a SharePoint list, select recipients, insert merge fields, and produce personalized documents without manual data export. Next, try using the Match Fields button on the Mailings tab to map SharePoint columns to standard address fields automatically. An advanced tip: save the .odc connection file to a shared network folder so other team members can reuse the same data source without re-entering the site URL.