Q191264: WD97: How to Use the Outlook Express Address Book in Mail Merge

Article: Q191264
Product(s): Word 97 for Windows
Version(s): WINDOWS:4.0,97
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbinterop kbdta word97 kbmerge
Last Modified: 14-NOV-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Word 97 for Windows 
- Microsoft Outlook Express version 4.0 for Windows 95 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article describes how to export the Outlook Express Address Book as a text
file to use as a mail merge data source in Microsoft Word.

NOTE: The Outlook Express Address Book is not designed for use with Microsoft
Word 97 for Windows. Therefore, when you try to perform a mail merge with the
Outlook Express Address Book, it will not be an available address book or you
will receive an error message.

For more information about the error messages you may receive, please see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q178481 WD97: Errors Accessing the Address Book Icon

MORE INFORMATION
================

NOTE: For more information on how to import your Outlook Express Address Book
into the Microsoft Outlook 97/98 Contact List, please see the following articles
in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q175714 OL97: How to Import Addresses from Outlook Express

  Q180197 OL98: How to Import Addresses from Outlook Express


To export the Address Book as a text file from Outlook Express, follow these
steps:

1. Start Outlook Express.

2. On the File menu, point to Export, and then click Address Book.

3. In the Address Book Export Tool dialog box, click Text File (Comma Separated
  Values) and then click Export.

4. In the "Save exported file as" box, type in a file name for your exported
  Address Book file, and then click Browse.

5. Save your file.

  By default, Outlook Express will save the file to your desktop. You may want
  to save the file to the My Documents folder or to a different folder or
  drive.

  NOTE: You can save your Outlook Express Address Book in one of two formats:
  Comma Separated Values (*.csv) or Text Files (*.txt). Word will be able to
  use either format.

6. Click Next.

7. Click to select the fields that you want to export as part of your data
  source, and then click Finish.

  NOTE: All of the fields in the Outlook Express Address Book can be exported,
  except for Gender, Conferencing Email, and Directory Servers.

8. When Outlook Express has completed exporting your address book, the following
  message will be displayed:

  Address book export has completed successfully.

  Click OK.

9. Click Close to close the Address Book Export Tool dialog box.

Note: If you receive a "Word cannot open the data source" error message do the
following:

1. From the Open Data Source dialog place a check next to "Select Method".

2. Choose Text Files (*.txt) instead of the ODBC converter.

For more information about performing a mail merge in Word using a text file,
please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q141922 WD97: How to Start a Mail Merge

Additional query words: mail merge export outlook express word data source

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Keywords          : kbinterop kbdta word97 kbmerge 
Technology        : kbWordSearch kbWord97 kbWord97Search kbZNotKeyword2 kbOutlookExpressSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbOutlookExpress95Search kbOutlookExpress400Win95
Version           : WINDOWS:4.0,97
Issue type        : kbhowto

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