Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Getting Rid of Mail Merge Section Breaks.

Getting Rid of Mail Merge Section Breaks

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 30, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Jane complained about not being able to get rid of the section breaks between mail-merge documents. Apparently Jane uses Word to create mail-merge documents, and then needs to get rid of the section breaks. There are two ways that this can be handled. The first is to change how the mail-merge document is created, and the second is after merging to a new document.

When you create a mail-merge document, Word allows you to create any of the following.

  • Form Letters. Using this format, it is assumed that each iteration of the mail-merge process creates a separate letter. A section break is placed between each created letter, and each data record is used to create a complete letter.
  • Mailing Labels. Using this format, it is assumed that each iteration of the mail-merge process creates a mailing label. The labels are placed in a table, with each data record creating one of the labels.
  • Envelopes. Using this format, it is assumed that each iteration of the mail-merge process creates a separate envelope. A section break is placed between each enveloped, and each data record is used to create an envelope.
  • Catalog. Using this format, it is assumed that each iteration of the mail-merge process creates a separate output record. The layout of the source document is relied upon very heavily, and there is no additional formatting added by the output process.

If you don't want additional formatting added to the output of the mail-merge process, simply choose the Catalog document type. This is the most bare-bones type of merge, and you can still use it to create virtually any type of finished document you want.

The other way to get rid of the section breaks is to create Form Letters (by choosing that option), and then use Find and Replace to remove the section breaks in the final document. You search for a ^b (which is the code for a section break) and replace it with a ^m (which is the code for a manual page break) or some other character. If you replace the section break with "nothing" (by leaving the Replace With field blank), then the resulting document is the same as if you had chosen to create a Catalog type document in the first place.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1201) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Getting Rid of Mail Merge Section Breaks.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Displaying the Full Ribbon

The ribbon, displayed at the top of the Word window, is very handy with all the tools it allows you to access, but it can ...

Discover More

Using Unique Document Serial Numbers

If you need to include serial numbers in your printed matter (labels, letters, documents, etc.), the best way is through ...

Discover More

Displaying Worksheets in a Slideshow Fashion

Want to step through the worksheets in a workbook, displaying them like a slideshow? The macros provided in this tip can ...

Discover More

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!

More WordTips (menu)

Conditional Processing During a Mail Merge

The Mail Merge capabilities can appear limited at first glance. One thing that is often overlooked (and which makes the ...

Discover More

Printing Portions of Mail Merged Documents

When you use a data source to create a bunch of documents in a mail merge, you might not want to print all the documents ...

Discover More

Automatically Determining a Due Date

When you are doing a mail merge in Word, you may need to calculate a date sometime in the future. Word doesn't include an ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 2 + 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.