MailMergeDocsThe problem it solves
Filling in the same letter, certificate or invoice for a list of people by hand takes an afternoon. Copy a name, paste it, fix the date, export to PDF, rename the file, repeat. Word has a built-in Mail Merge, but getting one separate, named PDF per person out of it takes extra work.
MailMergeDocs keeps it plain. You make the template in Word the way you already know how. You keep your list in Excel or Google Sheets. This page connects the two and hands you a small file that does the merge.
How it works
- Make your template. In Word, type a placeholder wherever a value should go, in double curly braces: {{FirstName}}, {{Amount}}, {{Date}}. Headers and footers work too. Save it as .docx.
- Make your list. In Excel or Google Sheets, put the column names in row 1 and one row per document. Save as CSV.
- Pick both files on this page. It lists the placeholders it found and pairs each with a column. Fix any pairing that's wrong.
- Choose your options. PDF or Word output, and which column names the files. Press Download.
- Run it. Put the downloaded MailMergeDocs.cmd in the same folder as your template and CSV, and double-click it. A MergeOutput folder appears beside it with one file per row and a summary.
What you need
A Windows PC with the classic desktop version of Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 or Office 2016 and newer). Word on the web doesn't count. If Word isn't there, the launcher stops and tells you so.
Because it uses your own copy of Word, fonts, layout and formatting come out exactly as Word would print them. Nothing to install, no add-in.
About the Windows warning
The launcher is a free, unsigned file, so your browser may say it "isn't commonly downloaded" (choose Keep), and Windows may show a blue "Windows protected your PC" box. Click More info, then Run anyway.
You don't have to take my word for what it does. The launcher is plain text. Right-click it and choose Edit, or click Show me exactly what the launcher runs on the page, and you can read every line.
Tips for a clean merge
Type each placeholder in one go. If Word splits a placeholder across two formatting styles, it can miss it. Deleting and retyping it fixes that.
Close the template in Word before you run the launcher. Each document takes about a second, so 300 rows is a few minutes. Column names match placeholders ignoring case, spaces and underscores, so "First Name" pairs with {{FirstName}} on its own. If a value is empty, the placeholder is simply removed from that document.
Why I ask for your email
The sign-up unlocks the tool in this browser. You only do it once per browser.
It has nothing to do with your documents. The page reads your template and CSV inside your browser only to list placeholders and column names. The merge itself runs in Word on your own PC. Your template and your data are never uploaded and never stored on a server.
I might send you a note now and then about other free tools I build. I will never sell or give your email to anyone else.
Questions people ask
Is it really free?
Yes. No subscription and no per-document fee.
Does it work on a Mac or a phone?
No. The merge runs on a Windows PC with desktop Microsoft Word installed. Open this page on that computer to build your download.
Can I get Word files instead of PDFs?
Yes. Choose Word (.docx) under Options before you download.
Does it work with Excel or PowerPoint templates?
Not yet. Word templates only for now. Your data list is a CSV, which Excel or Google Sheets can save.
A placeholder was left unfilled. Why?
Either its column is empty for that row, or Word couldn't match it because it was typed in pieces. Delete it in the template and retype it in one go.
Can I run it again?
Yes. Existing files are never overwritten. A new run adds (2), (3) and so on to the names.