How to Auto Populate Word Document from Excel (with Quick Steps)

Step 1 – Prepare the Excel File

Create an Excel file with the dataset if you don’t have one already. If you have one, make sure the dataset starts at cell A1. We are using the following dataset.

You can have multiple sheets in your Excel file but can only use one sheet to auto populate a Word document from Excel.

Step 2 – Go to the Word Document

We have created the following table in Word to put all the information separately for easier understanding.

Step 3 – Go to the Mailings Tab

In the Word document, select the Mailings tab from your ribbon.

auto populate word document from excel

Step 4 – Select the Excel Sheet as Recipient

Click on Select Recipients and select Use an Existing List from the drop-down menu.

auto populate word document from excel

Step 5 – Select the Excel File

A Select Data Source window will pop up.
Navigate to your Excel file and select it.

Step 6 – Select the Sheet

If you have multiple spreadsheets within one Excel file, carefully select the one you want to export from. In this file, we have only one named Dataset.
Check the First row of data containing column headers if you have headers in your dataset. We have headers on my dataset so we have checked as you can see from the figure.

auto populate word document from excel

Click on OK.

Step 7 – Insert a Merge Field

Select the position where you want the merged field.

Go to the Mailings tab in your ribbon.
In the Write and Insert Field group, you can find the Insert Merge Field.
Click on the arrow beside it.
From the drop-down list, select First_Name.

auto populate word document from excel

You will have something like this.

auto populate word document from excel

Repeat the same process, but this time select Last_Name from the drop-down menu to enter the last name.

auto populate word document from excel

Here’s the result.

auto populate word document from excel

In the field of <<First_Name>> all the first names and in the field of <<Last_Name>> all the last names will be iterated.

Step 8 – Repeat the Above Step as Many Times as You Need

For this dataset, you can auto-import ID, First Name, Last Name, Nationality, Field, and Invented/Discovered data into the Word file. Import the desired sections from the drop-down menu.

auto populate word document from excel

Step 9 – Preview Results

Select Preview Results from the Mailings tab.

auto populate word document from excel

It will show a preview of the first result.

To preview the other ones, in the Mailing tab, under the Preview Results group, click on the arrows to switch to other results.

auto populate word document from excel

Here’s the second result.

Step 10 – Save the Word File

Save the Word file by going to the File tab and selecting the Save As command.

You can also save the file as a .docx file. Select Yes in the warning box that pops up when you open up the Word file.

auto populate word document from excel

Download the Practice Files

Auto Populate Word Document.xlsx

Auto Populate Word Document.docx

<< Go Back to Export Excel to Word | Export Data from Excel | Learn Excel

Get FREE Advanced Excel Exercises with Solutions!

Sub ExportWorksheetsToWord() Dim objWord As Object Dim objDoc As Object Dim objRange As Object Dim ws As Worksheet ' Create a new instance of Microsoft Word Set objWord = CreateObject("Word.Application") ' Make Word visible (optional) objWord.Visible = True ' Loop through each worksheet in the workbook For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets ' Create a new Word document for each worksheet Set objDoc = objWord.Documents.Add ' Reference the range of the current worksheet Set objRange = ws.UsedRange ' Copy the range to the Clipboard objRange.Copy ' Paste the range into the Word document objDoc.Range.PasteExcelTable LinkedToExcel:=False, WordFormatting:=False, RTF:=False ' Save the Word document with the worksheet name objDoc.SaveAs "C:\ExcelDemy\" & ws.Name & ".docx" ' Replace with your desired file path ' Close the Word document objDoc.Close ' Clean up Set objDoc = Nothing Next ws ' Close Microsoft Word objWord.Quit ' Clean up Set objWord = Nothing Set objRange = Nothing End Sub

21 Comments

saf Jul 2, 2022 at 3:15 AM

This was really helpful, thank you. Is there a way for you to add data to the spreadsheet which would then automatically update the recipients in word?

For example, very time I add a new patient to the excel spreadsheet, I need to “select recipients > use an existing list” and choose the excel file again.
- Reply
  Abrar Niloy Jul 19, 2022 at 11:46 AM
  
  Hello, SAF. I am glad it was helpful to you. As for your problem, you don’t need to reupload every time you enter new patient names in Excel.
  
  You can select “Edit Recipient List”> select the file name in the “Data Source” section and hit refresh. It will automatically update the recipients’ list up to the latest entry.
  - Reply
    Nabil sellami Feb 7, 2023 at 2:05 PM
    
    Thank you, this was the most enjoyed reading time for the day. Very well written and so detailed . You forgot the printing part, but while reading the comment section I found your answer.
    - Shamima Feb 13, 2023 at 3:47 PM
      
      Hello, Nabil sellami!
      
      Thanks for your appreciation. To get more enjoyable articles stay in touch with ExcelDemy.
      
      Regards
      ExcelDemy
Kheiy Sep 13, 2022 at 5:24 PM

Hi Abrar, thank you so much for sharing this. Do you happen to know how I can save and print each pages? Thank you in advance!
- Reply
  Abrar Niloy Sep 15, 2022 at 11:41 AM
  
  Hi Kheiy. Yes, there is an easy way to do that. Go to the Mailings tab on the word file and select Finish & Merge. Then select Print Documents from the drop-down. After that, you can find the option to print all pages or a particular range if you want.
Noura Oct 12, 2022 at 12:26 PM

Very helpful thanks.
Fadya Feb 16, 2023 at 4:23 PM

First of all, I want to say thank you for this very helpful post, it really helped me alot
I was wondering if the result could be all on one page and when that page is full it could go to the next page and so on
- Reply
  Arin Islam Feb 20, 2023 at 10:55 AM
  
  Hi FADYA,
  Thanks for your appreciation.
  When we auto-populate Word documents from Excel it automatically generates data in individual documents for each data.
  However, you can go to the View tab and then click on Web Layout from the Views group to see all the values in a single layout.
Stuart McDonald Mar 19, 2023 at 10:39 AM

hello,
I wish to produce a mail merge that includes an excel spreadsheet chart that is unique for each customer e.g.include an invoice (spreadsheet) for each customer showing goods they purchase this month.
Mailmerge is simple to achieve but to get the data for the individual customers details from within the data that contains the customer name, address.
Appreciate any help that you can provide.
Stuart
- Reply
  Eshrak Kader Mar 21, 2023 at 9:36 PM
  
  Thank you for your inquiry. Regrettably, Microsoft Word does not have the capability to perform a mail merge with Excel charts. Although there are third-party add-ins that claim to provide this functionality, we cannot vouch for their security, and therefore, we do not recommend their use.
  
  Perhaps, you may post this query on Microsoft Community, where experts can direct you to a trusted alternative.
  
  Regards,
  ExcelDemy
Elena Apr 13, 2023 at 9:58 PM

HI,

Thank you so much for making this tutorial, it is very useful.

I want to make a document where I can generate a table with different information for each person (like the example above with IsaacNewton, AlbertEinstein, and MarieCurie) however when I change the results preview it changes every table to the same record (i.e. every table is IsaacNewton, then every one becomes AlbertEinstein etc. but I want them to all be their own person). Do you have any advice for how to change this?

Thanks in advance.
- Reply
  Aniruddah Alam Apr 16, 2023 at 12:03 PM
  
  Hello, Elena.
  Thank you for your kind words. Now, what I can understand from your query is that when you navigate through the preview results, you can only see just one individual’s information rather than everyone’s information. If you exactly follow the steps outlined above, you should be able to see all of the persons’ information in the preview result. Hence, I encourage that you carefully follow the instructions outlined above and observe whether or not your problem is resolved. If your issue persists, you can upload your file to our Exceldemy Forum(https://exceldemy.com/forum/). We will do our best to find a solution.

Miguel Jun 3, 2023 at 6:48 AM

Thank you, really helpful and easy to follow. Is there a way to save each sheet indivudually as a doc automatically?

Mehedi Hasan Shimul Jun 4, 2023 at 3:24 PM

Hi MIGUEL,

We are glad, you asked the questions. It’s quite easy to import data from separate sheets and save it as separate documents. Simply, use the following code in a new module of VBA. Only, you have to change the file directory to save the doc file.

After running the code, you will see the doc files created according to your dataset.

output seperate doc files for each worksheet data

Gene Sep 8, 2023 at 9:44 PM

In 1990 I bought a wonderful program called Ragtime. I could create a template with a spreadsheet on page one and a Will that followed was populated by the data in the cells.

It is now 33 years later and this can’t be done anymore? The steps here are crazy.

Absurd. Or more likely, less profitable
- Reply
  Aniruddah Alam Sep 10, 2023 at 5:12 PM
  
  Thanks, GENE for your comment. As you mentioned in your comment, RagTime is a specialized publishing tool with advanced layout and design capabilities. It may be a better choice for complex design and layout requirements for your mail merge documents. If you’re comfortable with a specialized tool, RagTime is a good option. However, if your needs are simple and you’re already familiar with Excel, using it for mail merging can be practical and efficient. So overall it depends on your requirements and in which platform you are used to do your work.
  
  Regards
  Aniruddah
  Team Exceldemy
Ryan Oct 30, 2023 at 11:39 PM

Thank you for the information. How would you do multiple line items? For example, like a purchase form.
Qty Description Model/Catalog/Item# Unit Price Total Price
1 Tape logic 1 tape logic 1 1 1
3 Tape logic 2 tape logic 2 1 3

When I followed the steps it only put in the first line item.
- Reply
  Yousuf Khan Oct 31, 2023 at 11:36 AM
  
  Hello RYAN,
  
  Thank you for sharing your experience.
  
  I believe you want to auto-populate Word documents from multiple Excel data like a purchase form. The reason you were able to display only one item after following the above steps is that the Mailings feature merges through only one entity for each line.
  
  However, it is possible to display every line of the Purchase form using 2 easy steps.
  Let’s start creating the dataset as per your requirements:
  
  Afterward, let’s create another dataset in Word and follow the steps 3 to 9 of this article. Thus, we get the first line data according to your dataset. Now, we can toggle through each line data using the toggle buttons.
  
  Or, we can display the desired number of lines in a single Word file.
  Go to Finish & Merge >> Edit Individual Documents.
  
  Put the number of lines you want to populate >> OK.
  
  As a result, you get all the lines of data in your Word file.
  
  Regards,
  Yousuf Khan Shovon
Victoria Sharp Feb 5, 2024 at 6:06 AM

I would like to automatically update a word document (that contains every persons information) as the excel sheet is automatically updated from the form.

This is for a Conflict of Interest Register.
- Reply
  Lutfor Rahman Shimanto Feb 7, 2024 at 10:07 AM
  
  Hello VICTORIA SHARP
  
  Thank you for reaching out and sharing your requirements. Based on your comment, it seems like you’re looking for a dynamic link between your Excel sheet and Word document to ensure that any updates in the Excel sheet reflect immediately in the Word document.
  
  The solution provided in the article serves this purpose quite effectively. Using the Mail Merge feature in Word, you can connect your Excel sheet (containing the Conflict of Interest Register data) and your Word document.
  
  So, do not hesitate to follow the steps outlined in the article to establish the connection between the two. Once set up, any changes you make to the Excel sheet will automatically propagate to the Word document when you update the merge fields. This way, you can maintain an accurate and current Conflict of Interest Register without manual effort. Good luck.
  
  Regards
  Lutfor Rahman Shimanto
  ExcelDemy