Mail merge and Excel

John_Miller_33501710 

The date format issue you are experiencing during mail merge is typically due to the regional settings in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. Here are a few steps you can follow to preserve the original date format:

1. Open Microsoft Excel and select the column containing the date values.
2. Right-click on the column header and choose "Format Cells" from the context menu.
3. In the "Format Cells" dialog box, go to the "Number" tab.
4. Select the desired date format that matches your original format (e.g., "DD/MM/YYYY").
5. Click "OK" to apply the format to the selected column.

Next, you will need to adjust the date format settings in Microsoft Word:

1. Open your Word document and navigate to the section where you are performing the mail merge.
2. Select the date field that is displaying the incorrect format.
3. Right-click on the field and choose "Toggle Field Codes" from the context menu. This will reveal the underlying field code.
4. Modify the field code to include the desired date format. For example, if the field code looks like { MERGEFIELD Date }, change it to { MERGEFIELD Date \@ "DD/MM/YYYY" }.
5. Press "Alt+F9" to toggle back to the merged data view. The date should now be displayed in the original format.

By specifying the date format in the field code, you can ensure that the desired format is preserved during the mail merge process.

Note: It is important to keep in mind that the formatting of merged data can also be affected by the destination application (e.g., email client, printer, etc.). Make sure to double-check the output format in the final medium to confirm that it retains the desired date format. It is worth noting that the exact user interface and options may slightly vary between different versions of Excel and Word.

If it is not what you want, please add detailed information. How step by step (cell by cell) explanation if necessary a photo or file (without sensitive data). Information such as Excel version, operating system, storage medium, etc. would also help.