Preparing a CSV for Mail Merge
A mail-merge CSV is just a CSV where each row is one recipient and the columns are merge fields (FirstName, Email, OrderNumber). The format is standard — the trick is making sure the column names match the placeholders in your template and the encoding is UTF-8 so accents don't break.
Required columns
At minimum: an Email column for the recipient address. Add FirstName, LastName, and any merge variables your template uses (OrderNumber, Amount, DueDate). Match the exact column names in your template — they're case-sensitive in most merge tools.
Save as UTF-8
Word's mail merge has historically had encoding bugs — a recipient named José can become Jos� in the sent email. Always save the CSV as UTF-8 (Excel: "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)"). Modern Word and Outlook handle UTF-8 correctly.
Quick test
Send a merge to your own email first with 2-3 recipient rows. Verify accents render, links work, and conditional logic (if your template uses it) picks the right value.
Frequently asked questions
What if a recipient has a comma in their name?
Wrap the field in double quotes: `"Hopper, Grace"`. Excel and CSV.si do this automatically.
How big can the CSV be?
Word handles tens of thousands of rows but slows down. For bulk sends, use a dedicated email tool that accepts CSV uploads (Mailchimp, SendGrid).