You may have used Mail Merge in previous versions of Word and want to check how to do this in Word 2010 or perhaps you're new to this and want to find out to use Mail Merge in Word 2010.

Whatever your interests this article takes you through the key steps and explains how to create a Mail Merged letter from a list of names and addresses. We'll work through the three stages of creating the list, preparing the merge letter and carrying out the merge.

The first step is to create or obtain a list of names and addresses. This could be created in either a Word table, or Excel spreadsheet table or Access database table.

The table needs to have a title row at the top, with headings such as Title, Firstname, Surname, Address and Town. To create a table in Word 2010 you first open a new Word document and then create a table with the required headings, then add several names and addresses to the table and save the Word document, for example, as Names1.docx and close the file.

You can create the table in Excel in much the same way, just as long as the top row is a header and the table contains some example names. It's also best to have the table at the top of the sheet, without any labels or data above the table, to ensure that Word can detect the correct names details for the merge. You can also use a named range in Excel if your spreadsheet has more than one set of names and addresses.

You can create the table in Access similarly - just note you need to know the database name as well as the table name. You can also use your Outlook address book as the list, but in this article we'll stick to using the Word table in Names1.docx and take it from there.

The second step is to prepare your master letter for use in the mail merge. So in Word 2010 we create a new blank document. Before we enter all the letter text we need to link this Word file to our list of names. To do this choose the Mailings tab and click the Start Mail Merge button and select Letters. Then click the Select Recipients button and choose Use Existing List. Navigate to where you saved the Names1.docx file and double click the file. Word then links this file to your new blank document. Now we can start typing the letter. You could type your address at the top left and then press Enter a couple of times to create a space under your details.

Now we want to add the name and address details for the people on our list. To start this, carefully click the down arrow on the Insert Merge Field button. A pop down will appear showing all the table headings, so choose Title and press the spacebar once to create a space. Then do this again and choose Firstname, followed by a space, then choose Surname but this time press the Enter key to create a new line. Then repeat the steps to choose the Address field, press Enter key, and then to finish, choose the Town field and press Enter key.

By the way if you click the Insert Merge Field button rather than the pop down arrow, you can select one of the fields, but you have to close the Insert Merge Field panel before you can add the next one.

Then you can proceed and type in the main parts of the letter. You might begin by typing Dear, followed by a space. Then insert the Firstname field and press Enter a couple of times to create some space between the opening salutation and the rest of the letter, which you can now type. You then might complete the letter with an appropriate ending such as Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely and then add your name. Then save the letter with a name you won't forget, such as Master1.docx as this is the master letter for the mail merge.

The third step is to actually carry out the merge.

You can preview what the merged letters will look like if you wish, by clicking the Preview Results button in the top right of the Mailings tab. The Preview button turns orange when selected. Word will then substitute the details for the first record in your letter. You can then preview each letter in turn by clicking the right pointing Next Record button. At this stage you're usually checking the look of the master letter to ensure correct line spacing, gaps between fields and so on.

You can easily make changes to the master if necessary. To do this click the Preview Results button again to turn it off. Then you can modify the master letter, change formatting or add/remove spaces between fields or add extra line spaces if you wish. If you want to remove an unwanted merge field (usually shows as grey in the master document), click once to the immediate right of the field and press the backspace key twice - once highlights the field and twice deletes it. Then add the required field as described above. Don't forget to save your updated master letter.

Once you're happy with the preview you can carry out the actual mail merge. To do this you click the Finish & Merge button and choose Edit Individual Documents. In the Merge to New Document panel click All to create a separate letter for each person on the Names1 list. Word then creates a brand new document with as many pages as there are names on your list, and each page contains a perfectly merged letter with all the correct individuals details. You may want to save this with an appropriate name, such as Merged1 to remind you this is the merged output. You can then of course print this file and all the letters whenever suits you. That's it - you've achieved the mail merge. Don't forget you're working with three separate Word 2010 files; the names list, the master letter and the merged results.

Interested in learning more about Word 2010? One way to really boost your skills is to attend one of the many training courses available - and then really see your Word 2010 skills grow.