In case your Workspace version helps it, it’s possible you’ll mail merge from Gmail utilizing a Google Sheet as your knowledge supply. This implies you may create an e mail that takes {custom} fields from a spreadsheet and insert them into particular person emails to personalize your message. Mail merge works nicely for personalized suggestions, reminders or renewal messages.

Create a mail merge

To create a mail merge, you want a Google account with a supported version of Workspace: Particular person, Enterprise Commonplace or Plus, Enterprise Commonplace or Plus, Training Plus and Nonprofits.

You need to examine together with your Google Workspace administrator to learn the way mail merge has been configured to your account. An administrator might permit or stop entry to mail merge by way of a setting within the Admin Console: Apps | Google Workspace | Gmail | Person Settings | Mail Merge. In some instances, this setting should still present as Multi-send. The administrator might modify this setting both for the complete group or for particular organizational items.

Moreover, by default, some Workspace editions prohibit mail merge to inside recipients solely; a Workspace administrator might select to permit sending a mail merge to exterior e mail addresses. In all instances, the amount of Gmail messages you ship should stay throughout the sending limits of your version.

As soon as you could have entry to mail merge and know to whom it’s possible you’ll ship (i.e., inside solely or exterior addresses), open Chrome on a desktop-class laptop, sign up to your Workspace account and observe the sequence under.

Configure your Google Sheet

First, you’ll have to have a Google Sheet that incorporates your recipient e mail addresses, together with every other {custom} knowledge you want to embrace in your merge. One option to acquire your supply sheet could possibly be to export a set of data from a database akin to Salesforce after which import your file (e.g., .csv or .xlsx format) into Google Sheets.

As with most merge knowledge sources, Row 1 of your sheet ought to include the sphere title headers akin to First Title, Final Title, Greenback Quantity, Date and Date Format Instance (Determine A). Ensure that your area names use normal characters and numbers fairly than particular symbols.

Determine A

Overview your supply knowledge to make sure that each area you plan to merge has correct data; particularly, examine that each one names are right. Sending an e mail the place you merge the improper title might immediate folks to both delete your e mail or report it as spam.

In case your Google Sheet has a number of tabs of sheets displayed alongside the underside, ensure to maneuver the sheet with the supply knowledge to the primary tab. One option to make this transfer is to click on on a tabbed sheet title after which drag to reposition it. When merging, the system attracts area names and knowledge solely from the sheet on the primary tab.

Provoke the merge in Gmail

Open Gmail and choose Compose to create a brand new e mail. Then, each time the cursor is in any of the deal with fields (e.g., To, Cc or Bcc), it’s possible you’ll choose the mail merge icon, which is a picture of two folks with a + image (Determine B). As soon as chosen, examine the field to allow Mail Merge mode. When energetic, the accent colours change and the message “You’re Utilizing Mail Merge” shows.

Determine B

Subsequent, select the Add From A Spreadsheet choice from the mail merge menu; it will carry up a Google Drive interface that lets you navigate to the Google Sheet you want to use as your mail merge recipient record knowledge supply. Choose the sheet you ready earlier, after which select the Insert button (Determine C).

Determine C

The system will ask you to specify the proper knowledge to make use of for every recipient’s e mail deal with and first and final title fields (the final title area is non-compulsory) (Determine D). Choose the corresponding columns out of your Google Sheet and choose End. A small icon of your spreadsheet will show because the recipient within the To: area in your mail merge e mail.

Determine D

Fill within the topic line of your e mail as you’ll usually with any e mail you ship.

Personalize communication with {custom} fields

Enter the physique textual content of your e mail. It’s possible you’ll select a format, add hyperlinks, modify formatting and insert emoji, as in any e mail. If you happen to intend to supply a file, akin to a PDF with a mail merge, one of the best apply can be to incorporate a hyperlink to the file on Google Drive fairly than inserting the merchandise as an attachment.

Sort @ to show obtainable mail merge tags out of your Google Sheet (Determine E) after which choose any merchandise from the record to insert it into the e-mail. The system consolidates names right into a single lowercase string, which turns a column titled Greenback Quantity right into a mail merge tag of @dollaramount, for instance.

Determine E

The inserted knowledge retains the formatting in your Google Sheet, as proven by the @date and @dateformatexample fields within the pattern sheet in Determine A. Within the first case, the / separator divides the month, day and 12 months, whereas within the latter, the spreadsheet knowledge was formatted to show with a full month in textual content, adopted by a numerical date, a comma after which the 12 months. So ensure to change the format of the content material in your Google Sheet to mirror the presentation you need in your mail merge.

Test earlier than you ship

When you could have rigorously reviewed your content material for errors, choose the Proceed button. A immediate with three choices shows: Cancel, Ship Preview and Ship All (Determine F).

Determine F

Every of those choices does just about what you’ll count on.

If you wish to return to modifying your e mail, choose Cancel. Ship All triggers the merge and completes the method. Typically, it’s best to first choose Ship Preview, which sends a pattern merged e mail to your Gmail inbox (Determine G). Test this preview for errors; as soon as you might be sure all data is as you would like, repeat the method and choose Ship All to merge and ship your mass e mail.

Determine G

Message or point out me on Mastodon (@awolber) to let me know the way you utilize Google Sheets and Gmail mail merge capabilities in your group.