How to do a mail merge in Apple Pages

Apple Pages version 12.1, which was released on 22.06.2022, enabled users to create mail merge letters with Apple Pages again.

In our tutorial, we'll show you how to do a mail merge in Apple Pages in just a few steps. To make it easy for you to follow the steps, we provide a free Pages and Numbers template you can download for free.

How mail merge works with Apple Pages & Numbers

To do a mail merge, you need a Pages document and a data source containing recipient data. During the mail merge, the data source will be linked to the Pages document and the recipient data will be automatically transferred.

Pages document

A Pages document to be sent to several recipients.

Numbers table

A data source containing all the recipient data.

Link files

Pages will transfer the recipient data into your document.

Create a mail merge letter directly online

Create a mail merge letter easily online – no registration necessary!

Creating a mail merge letter with Apple Pages takes a lot of time and nerves. But you can simplify the process by using the free Mail Merge Letter Generator. Upload your letter and recipient data, then personalize your document in just a few clicks!

Create a mail merge letter free of charge

Tutorial: How to do a mail merge in Apple Pages

Download free Pages and Numbers Templates

Step 1

Create a document in Apple Pages

Open Apple Pages and create the letter. Don’t include any personalized text (like salutations and addresses).

You can also download and use our free Apple Pages template for testing.

Step 2

Create a data source in Numbers

To do a mail merge with Apple Pages, you need a Numbers table containing your recipient data. Define a meaningful column name in the first row, such as "First Name" or "Salutation".

You can create a new Numbers table yourself or download our free Numbers template.

Step 3

Link the Numbers table to your Pages document

Return to your document in Pages and open Document view by clicking the "Document" button in the upper right corner.
Click on the "Mail Merge" button in the Document view and place the cursor anywhere in the text.
Select the "Add Merge Field" button in the Mail Merge sidebar and click "Add from Spreadsheet".
In the following dialog box, locate the Numbers spreadsheet you created (or our Numbers template) and click "Open".
You'll see a preview of the fields from your Numbers table. Click on "Add as Fields" to transfer the recipient data into the Pages document.

Note: If you don't see the "Mail Merge" button, you're using an older version of Apple Pages. Update Pages to the latest version and try again.

Step 4

Personalize your document

Now you can personalize your document.

Place the cursor at the desired position in the text, click on "Add Merge Field", and select the desired field.
The used merge fields you select will be displayed in the sidebar and highlighted in the document.

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Step 5

Show preview

Pages provides a simple preview feature that allows you to check the inserted recipient data. Unfortunately, the preview is not displayed directly in the letter document.

To preview, click the "Merge..." button in the mail merge sidebar, then click the "Preview" button.
The following dialog box will display the fields containing the recipient data. You can navigate between the different recipients using the arrows.

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Step 6

Create a mail merge letter and export it as a PDF

To create a new Pages document with the filled-in data, click on the "Merge..." button in the mail merge sidebar and select the "Merge" button in the following dialog box. The data will be merged into a new Pages document.
To export the mail merge letter as a PDF, choose "File" → "Export" → "PDF".

That's how easy it is to do a mail merge in Pages!

Disadvantages of mail merge via Apple Pages

With a large amount of recipient data, Apple Pages quickly reaches its limits. A good alternative is the free Mail Merge Letter Generator. With this, a mail merge letter can be created online with just a few clicks and downloaded as a PDF. In addition to the simple handling and extremely fast processing, the preview of all recipient data directly in the document is also a great advantage.

Create a mail merge letter online for free

Only suitable with few recipients: Using Apple Pages, creating mail merge letters with many receipients often causes issues.

Time consuming: Creating a mail merge letter with Apple Pages and Numbers can be very time consuming.

No preview directly in the document: Apple Pages does not offer the possibility to display the recipient data directly in the letter document.

Available for Mac only: The Pages and Numbers software is only available for macOS and not for Windows.

Have mail merge letters printed and sent by post

Send mail merge letters by post takes a lot of time and resources. To simplify the process, the Online Post Service Pingen offers the perfect solution. Simply submit the mail merge letters online for sending and Pingen does the rest. The letters are automatically printed and reliably delivered by local post or DHL.

Learn more about Pingen