Word Mail Merge not working

Question

Word Mail Merge not working

Lauren O'Neill 0

I have never had issues before using Word for mail merge on my mac, connected to outlook for mac and via a gmail account (which is set as default) - all of a sudden, the mail merge will not send and I get an error message. I have tried all of the work arounds, using legacy outlook etc and still nothing will fix the problem. I pay for Microsoft Office subscription largely for Mail Merge so I need to find a resolve for this. Will this be fixed in a next update?

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Answer 1

Julie Huynh 3,770 Independent Advisor

Dear @Lauren O'Neill,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

To better understand what may be causing the issue, could you please provide a bit more information:

What is the exact error message you receive when attempting to send the mail merge?
Which versions of Word and Outlook for Mac are currently installed?
Does the issue occur with all mail merge documents or only a specific one?
Are you able to send emails normally from Outlook outside of Mail Merge?
Have you had the opportunity to test with a new, simple Mail Merge and a small sample recipient list? If so, does the same issue occur there as well, or is it limited to a specific Mail Merge document?

Your confirmation would be very helpful in ensuring you receive the most suitable support!

If you’re able to share a bit more about your situation, I might be able to suggest some helpful next steps.

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing how things are going!

Lauren O'Neill 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T11:29:32.7733333+00:00
Hi Julie,

Of course:

What is the exact error message you receive when attempting to send the mail merge? - Have attached the two error messages. It says 'Word was unable to email your document' followed by 'Word could not finish merging these documents or inserting this database'.

Which versions of Word and Outlook for Mac are currently installed? - it is the latest version for both, 16.113.3.

Does the issue occur with all mail merge documents or only a specific one? - all of them

Are you able to send emails normally from Outlook outside of Mail Merge? - yes Outlook is working fine

Have you had the opportunity to test with a new, simple Mail Merge and a small sample recipient list? If so, does the same issue occur there as well, or is it limited to a specific Mail Merge document? - yes, the test does not work.

Best,

Lauren
Julie Huynh 3,770 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-02T14:31:41.7533333+00:00
Dear @Lauren O'Neill,

Thank you for confirming those details.

Since Outlook is working normally and the issue also occurs with a newly created test mail merge, I'd like to narrow down whether the problem is related to the mail merge data source itself or the local Office installation.

Could you please let me know:

What type of recipient list are you using for the mail merge (Excel workbook, CSV file, Outlook contacts, etc.)?

If you're currently using an Excel file, does the same issue occur when using a simple CSV file with just a few test recipients?

Have you tested whether the issue occurs under a different macOS user profile, if available?

Did this begin immediately after a recent Office or macOS update, or was there any other change around the time the issue started?

Additionally, could you share the macOS version currently installed on your device?

The answers above will help understand whether this is a problem with the data source, a profile-specific issue, or a possible change introduced by a recent Office or macOS update.

I look forward to your update.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Julie Huynh 3,770 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-03T07:38:20.24+00:00

Hi,

Good day! I hope everything is going well on your end.

I am following up to inquire about the current status of your issue. I remain available and look forward to your response.