Word 2007: Using Address Block in a Mail Merge

Contributed by Rob Rogers  
Tagged: Microsoft Word  

Mail merge has been around forever, but one aspect of it has always been a real pain. Dealing with a list of addresses that sometimes utilize Address 2 (or even Address 3) while others do not can leave you with unwanted blank lines in your merged document. Using the Address Block setting in Word 2007 makes this quite simple as it will automatically suppress any blank lines, leaving you with a properly formatted address. To use this great feature . . .

1. Select the Mailings tab from the Ribbon.

2. Click Start Mail Merge to select the type of document you desire. Click on the type and then select the proper options from the resulting dialog box and click OK.

3. Click Select Recipients and select the location of your recipients. You can create a new list if you need to. Go through the resulting dialog box(es) to select the intended recipients.

4. Instead of inserting the merge fields for the name and address, click Address Block. This will bring up a dialog box allowing you to choose what elements you wish to include. These include the recipient’s name, company name, and postal address. Select the desired elements by clicking on the corresponding checkboxes.

5. Click the Match Fields button to make sure that all fields match up. If not, use the corresponding dropdowns to select the appropriate field for that component.

6. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Your address block has now been added to your document. This will suppress any blank lines in any of the chosen fields, resulting in a clean and professional looking document for the recipients.