Mail merge in Gmail now supports Google Sheets

 

Image Credit: Google Workspace Updates

Google has announced the integration of Google Sheets with Mail merge in Gmail on the web. This integration aims to streamline the process of sending personalized and engaging emails to multiple recipients from web Gmail.

With this update, Gmail users can link a Google Sheet containing up to 1,500 recipients and any data column from the connected Sheet can be utilized as a mail merge tag, allowing for dynamic and personalized content in each email. The mail merge feature will replace the previously existing multi-send function entirely.

As part of this update, Google has also made some changes to the user interface. The icon for mail merge, which was previously located in the main compose toolbar at the bottom of the email draft, has been moved to the top-right corner of the compose window. 

Users can still utilize mail merge even without linking a Google Sheet by making use of the built-in merge tags such as @firstname, @lastname, @fullname, and @email. 

One notable feature of mail merge emails is that each recipient is provided with a unique unsubscribe link by default. If a recipient chooses to unsubscribe, they will be automatically excluded from future mail merge emails sent by the sender.

For Google Workspace Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus customers, mail merge is limited to internal recipients by default. However, for Google Workspace Business Standard and Business Plus customers, mail merge is available for external recipients by default. Additionally, for all Google Workspace editions, admins can choose to enable mail merge for external recipients at the organizational unit (OU) or Group level.

For end-users, to link a Google Sheet to a draft in Gmail, follow these steps.

• Turn on the mail merge feature using the icon located in the top-right corner of a new compose tab.
• Then, select "Add from a spreadsheet," and choose the specific Sheet that you wish to use for recipient data. It's important to note that the selected Sheet must have at least one column dedicated to email addresses and one column containing recipient names.
• Next, you will see the "Finish linking spreadsheet" dialog, which allows choosing the specific columns that contain recipient email addresses and names.
• To insert merge tags into a draft, users can simply type "@" in their email draft, triggering a list of available merge tags. Every valid column from the first tab of the linked Sheet will be accessible as a merge tag. Users can insert their desired merge tag by pressing Enter or clicking on the tag, enhancing the customization and personalization of their emails.

For Rapid Release domains, the feature visibility will gradually expand over a period of up to 15 days, starting from June 27, 2023.On the other hand, Scheduled Release domains will experience an extended rollout, potentially exceeding the 15-day timeframe for feature visibility, starting from July 19, 2023.

This update will be available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, Education Plus customers and Nonprofits.