How to run a mail merge
Write your letter in a Google Doc, mark where the personalized details go, and generate a document for every row in your spreadsheet.
1. Prepare your spreadsheet
- Put your column names in row 1 (e.g.
First Name,Amount,Campus). - One row per recipient below that.
2. Open the tool from your letter
In the Google Doc you want to use as the template, choose Extensions ▸ CO's Mail Merge ▸ Start. The sidebar opens on the right.
3. Pick your data source
- Click Select spreadsheet… and choose your Google Sheet.
- Choose the tab that holds your data.
4. Insert fields into your letter
- Click in your letter where a personalized value should appear.
- In the sidebar's Insert fields section, click a column name. It drops
a tag like
{{First Name}}at your cursor. - Repeat for each field (e.g.
Dear {{First Name}},).
5. Set options
| Output | One document per row, or all rows combined into a single document. |
|---|---|
| Name files by | Choose a column (e.g. Last Name) to name each file, or leave as Row number. |
| Filter rows | Optional — only merge rows where a column equals a value (e.g. Status = Approved). |
| Email me when done | Optional — get a summary email with a link to the output folder. |
6. Test, then run
- Click Select folder… to choose where output is saved.
- Click Test (first row) to generate one sample document and check it.
- When it looks right, click Run merge. Each run creates a new dated subfolder, so nothing is ever overwritten.
Your template document is never changed — the tool always works on copies.