Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 30, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Richard has multiple Word mail merge documents, each of which uses the exact same Excel workbook as a data source. He regularly has to perform the merge and print each of these documents individually. He wonders if there is a way to somehow start the merge with the first Word document and, when that one is completed and printed, have the program automatically merge and print the second Word document, then the third, etc. Such an ability would make Richard's life easier, as he wouldn't need to "babysit" his system as it performed this rote series of merge-and-print operations.
If the names of the documents don't change (they are the same each time you need to go through this sequence), then it might be easiest to simply record a macro. Start the recorder, then go through the normal steps you follow to print the documents, in sequence. When you are done with the last one, turn off the recorder. While you'll need to "babysit" the system during the recording, when you later play back the macro, you won't need to stick around—the macro will take care of doing everything.
Of course, depending on the nature of the data you are merging (and what you actually want to see printed out), you might consider removing Word from the process entirely. You can find more information on this option by doing an Internet search.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13143) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
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