What is Mail Merge in Gmail

Sending personalized emails at scale without wasting time with Gmail? Yes, it’s possible.

This article details three concrete solutions, typical use cases, and answers to your most frequently asked questions. Let’s get started!

Defining Mail Merge

Mail merge is a feature that allows you to send a personalized email to multiple recipients at once. Instead of sending a generic message, this technique automatically inserts information specific to each recipient, such as their first name, last name, or company name.

The goal? Save time while making each email more personal and engaging—without having to write each message individually.

Example

You are a marketing manager and want to send a special offer to 200 customers.

With a standard email, you would have to manually write 200 messages or send a generic group email.

With mail merge, here’s what happens:

Your template message in Gmail:

Hello @first_name,

We have a special offer for you, @last_name, as a valued customer of @company!

What recipients receive:

Hello John,

We have a special offer for you, Mr. Doe, as a valued customer of XYZ!

Hello Sophie,

We have a special offer for you, Mrs. Smith, as a valued customer of ABC!

See the benefit? Gmail automatically replaces the merge tags (@first_name, @last_name, @company) with the corresponding information for each contact, making every email personalized without any extra effort on your part.

The handy and fun mail merge dictionary

I once read that making things simple and fun helps people understand them more easily. Let me know if I nailed it!

Merge Tag

Merge tags like {{Name}} or {{Company}} are dynamic elements inserted into an email, automatically replaced with recipient-specific data. Instead of typing "Dear [Insert First Name]," you just put @first_name, and voilà—Gmail does the work for you. Think of it as a fill-in-the-blanks email… except you don’t have to do any filling.

Google Contacts

This is your built-in address book in Gmail. It’s the holy grail of mail merge—if your contacts are well-organized here, you’ll never send an email to the wrong name (unless you messed up while saving them, but that’s another story).

Google Sheets

That boring, grid-like thing with rows and columns… oh yeah, a spreadsheet! But in this case, Google Sheets is your ultimate assistant: load it up with your contact list, and it will send them on a mission straight to Gmail.

CRM

Short for Customer Relationship Management—sounds fancy, but don’t worry, you don’t need to be a marketing expert to get it. If Google Contacts is like a notebook, a CRM is an interactive encyclopedia of your prospects and customers. (Except no one forces you to read it cover to cover.)

Add-on (Extension)

This is the little magical tool you add to Gmail or Google Sheets to unlock superpowers. By default, Gmail isn’t great at mail merge, but with an extension like Mail Merge for Gmail, it transforms into a high-efficiency personalized email machine.

⚡Quick Recap! You have three different sources for your contacts: Google Contacts, Google Sheets, or a CRM. You’ll never need all three at the same time—it just depends on the mail merge method you choose. And that’s exactly what we’re about to explore! There are three main ways to do mail merge, ranked by ease of use.

Method 1: use the Mail Merge for Gmail extension

Is Mail Merge for Gmail right for you?

You want:

• Simplicity

• Efficiency

• Advanced features without coding

Technical requirements:

• A Gmail account (any type of Google account works)

• A Google Sheets document

Step-by-step tutorial

There’s also a quick video tutorial if you prefer.

Step 1: Install Mail Merge for Gmail

Install Mail Merge for Gmail from this link by clicking the Install button.

Step 2: Launch Mail Merge for Gmail

Open Google Sheets (if it was already open, refresh the page).

Go to Extensions > Mail Merge for Gmail > Start.

Step 3: Set up your Google Sheet

In your Google Sheet, each row corresponds to a separate email.

At a minimum, you need a column containing all recipient email addresses to send your campaign.

You can include additional columns with custom details, which you can later insert into your email template (e.g., Name, Company, etc.).

👉 We’ve written a detailed guide to help you prepare your Google Sheet for mail merge. 

Step 4: Customize your email template

In the template editor, you can now pull data from your Google Sheet to personalize your emails. Simply select the desired column from the dropdown menu, and it will automatically insert the corresponding merge tag (e.g., {{Name}}). No need to type anything manually—just pick and apply!

Step 5 : Personalize your email subject

You can also use merge tags to tailor your email subject line. If your Google Sheet includes a "Name" column, simply insert the corresponding merge tag ({{Name}}) to dynamically personalize each subject line. Here's how it works:

Step 6: Write Your Mail Merge Email Template

Step 7: Send Your Email Campaign

Limitations of Mail Merge for Gmail

• Gmail quotas: limited to 1,500–2,000 emails/day, depending on your Google account type (we explain this in the next section).

• Basic tracking: you can see if an email was opened, but no advanced metrics like CTR, CTOR, or Reply rates—only a basic read receipt.

• Less suitable for large businesses: designed for small to medium-sized campaigns rather than enterprise-level needs.

Method 2: Use Gmail's native mail merge

Is Gmail's native mail merge right for you?

You want:

• Simplicity

• Speed

• Minimal features

Technical requirements:

• A Google account that supports native mail merge (details below)

• An updated Google Contacts list

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1: check if mail merge is enabled in Gmail

• Open Gmail and click "Compose".

• Add multiple recipients in the "To" field.

• Try inserting a merge tag (@first_name, @last_name, etc.). If the tag appears and automatically gets replaced with a real name, mail merge is enabled.

Step 2: ensure your contacts are saved

• Go to Google Contacts.

• Check that your contacts have a first name and email address saved.

• If needed, add new contacts by clicking "Create contact".

Step 3: select recipients and enable mail merge

• Open Gmail.

• Click "Compose" to start a new email.

• In the "To" field, start typing a name or email address and select multiple contacts.

Step 4: insert personalization tags and send your email

• While writing your email, use the following merge tags:

@first_name → Inserts the recipient’s first name.

@last_name → Inserts the recipient’s last name.

@full_name → Inserts the recipient’s full name.

@email → Inserts the recipient’s email address.

• Check that the tags are correctly replaced with real data before sending.

• Click "Send"!

Limitations of Gmail's native mail merge

As explained in Google’s article, there are many limitations to be aware of before using it.

Eligible Accounts

Only users with an eligible Google Workspace plan (Individual, Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Standard/Plus, Education Standard/Plus) can access mail merge. And even then, the functionality varies by account type:

• Business Standard / Business Plus → You can send mail merge emails to anyone (both internal and external contacts).

• Enterprise & Education → By default, only internal colleagues can receive mail merge emails. However, an admin can enable it for external recipients.

Merge Tag Limitations

Gmail’s built-in mail merge only supports a few merge tags:

• @first_name (First name)

• @last_name (Last name)

• @full_name (Full name)

• @email (Email address)

Merge tags can only be used in the email body—they cannot be used in:

• The subject line

• The URL of hyperlinks

• The recipient’s email address field

Attachments

Need to send a different attachment to each recipient? Forget about it. Gmail does not allow unique files per recipient in mail merge mode.

Strict Daily Sending Limits

1,500 to 2,000 emails/day, depending on your Google Workspace plan. If you exceed the limit, Gmail will temporarily block your account.

No Scheduled Sending

Want to schedule your mail merge emails for tomorrow morning? Too bad—Gmail doesn’t support scheduled sending for mail merge. You’ll have to send everything manually at the right moment.

👉 Want to learn how to schedule emails in Gmail? Check out our full guide.

No CRM Integration

Hoping to connect your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool to automate email campaigns? Unfortunately, Gmail’s mail merge only works with Google Contacts—there’s no integration with HubSpot, Salesforce, or other CRMs.

No Native Clickable CTA Buttons

Professional marketing emails often include eye-catching call-to-action (CTA) buttons. Gmail’s mail merge doesn’t support this—you’ll have to stick with plain text links instead.

💡 Pro Tip from Mail Merge for Gmail: Thinking about adding someone in CC (Carbon Copy) or BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) to track the emails? Absolutely not! If you send 1,500 emails, your colleague in CC will receive 1,500 copies of the same message. (Yes, that might ruin your friendship.)

Method 3: Create a Google Apps script

Is a Google Apps Script right for you?

You want:

• A free and unlimited long-term solution

• Advanced customization

• A solution for specific needs that no extension covers (e.g., automatically generating a PDF report and sending it as an attachment, integrating with a custom CRM via the Gmail API).

Technical requirements:

• Developer skills required 😉

• You use either Google Contacts or Google Sheets as your contact source

Step-by-step tutorial

Before starting, you can find ready-made scripts on Google’s Developer site.

Step 1: Prepare Contacts (Using Google Sheets)

• Open Google Sheets and create a new spreadsheet.

• Add the following column headers in Row 1:

A1: "Email" (recipient’s email address)

B1: "First Name"

C1: "Last Name"

D1: "Company" (optional)

• Fill in the next rows with your contact details—each row corresponds to an email that will be sent.

• Rename the sheet to "Contacts" to avoid errors in the script.

Step 1 (Alternative): Prepare Contacts (Using Google Contacts)

• Open Google Contacts.

• Add or verify that your contacts include a first name, last name, and email address.

• Create a group (label) to organize your mail merge recipients:

• In the left menu, click “Create label”.

• Name the group (e.g., "VIP Clients").

• Add the contacts you want to include in this group.

Step 2: Write an Email Template in Gmail

• Open Gmail and click "Compose".

• Write your email and insert merge tags ({{First Name}}, {{Last Name}}, {{Company}}...).

Example Template:

Subject: Special Offer

Message:

Hello {{First Name}},

We have a special offer for you at {{Company}}!

• Do NOT enter a recipient’s email address (the script will handle this).

• Do NOT send the email. Click ❌ (Close) to save it as a draft.

• Ensure the subject line is exactly "Special Offer" (otherwise, the script won’t find it).

Step 3: Create and Configure the Google Apps Script

• This script works with both Google Contacts and Google Sheets.

• Open Google Sheets.

• Click “Extensions” > “Apps Script”.

• Delete any existing code and replace it with a compatible script (Official script link).

• Modify the following line based on your contact source:

Google Contacts: useGoogleContacts = true;

Google Sheets: useGoogleContacts = false;

Step 4: Authorize and Run the Script

• Click the 💾 Save icon.

• In the Apps Script menu, go to "Run" > "sendEmails()".

• Google will request permission:

• Click "Authorize".

• Select your Google account.

• Accept the required permissions. The emails will be sent, and you can check them in Gmail's "Sent" folder.

Step 5: Automate Email Sending (Optional)

• In Apps Script, click on “Triggers” (⏰ clock icon).

• Set up a trigger to run "sendEmails()" on a recurring schedule (daily, weekly, etc.).

Limitations of Google Apps Script

Requires coding knowledge in JavaScript and Google Apps Script.

Other limitations are similar to Gmail's native mail merge:

• Daily sending limits: 100 emails/day (Free Gmail) ; 1,500–2,000 emails/day (Workspace).

• No open or click tracking.

• No personalized attachments.

• Risk of emails being flagged as spam—avoid sending too many identical emails quickly.

💡 Pro Tip from Mail Merge for Gmail: Add a delay between emails using Utilities.sleep(2000); to wait 2 seconds between each send, reducing the risk of being flagged as spam.

 Final comparison of the three mail merge methods with Gmail

Use cases for mail merge with Gmail

Here are some common scenarios where mail merge with Gmail is particularly useful:

1️⃣ Sending personalized newsletters

Example: A freelance coach sends a monthly newsletter to clients, addressing them by name and providing tailored advice.

2️⃣ Follow-ups and customer reminders

Example: A real estate agent sends personalized reminders to clients who have visited a property.

3️⃣ Sending invoices or administrative documents

Example: An accountant automates the monthly invoice distribution to clients using Mail Merge for Gmail.

4️⃣ Event invitations and communications

Example: A tech startup sends personalized invitations for its upcoming webinar, including unique participation links.

5️⃣ Recruitment campaigns and employee onboarding

Example: A company sends welcome emails to new hires, including their name and links to internal resources.

6️⃣ Feedback requests and surveys

Example: A restaurant sends a customer satisfaction survey after a visit.

On the other hand, there are cases where mail merge with Gmail is ineffective, risky, or simply not suitable:

❌ Mass email campaigns

For large-scale campaigns (e.g., 10,000+ emails), it's better to use a dedicated email marketing tool like Mailchimp, Brevo, or HubSpot.

❌ Complex marketing campaigns

Gmail lacks advanced list management (e.g., automatic unsubscribes, segmentation, A/B testing) and automation features like conditional email sequences.

❌ Transactional emails (invoices, confirmations, notifications)

Gmail is not designed for real-time, reliable transactional emails. For this, consider using SendGrid, Postmark, or Amazon SES.

❌ Sending sensitive information

Gmail does not provide end-to-end encryption for mass emails sent through extensions. Check out our guide on secure document sharing for better alternatives.

Expert Insight: Our Top 3 best mail merge extensions for Gmail

We’ve conducted an in-depth analysis of the best tools for cold email marketing. Among them, three are specifically designed for mail merge: Mail Merge for Gmail, Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM) and Mailmeteor.

Similarities and differences

All three allow you to send bulk personalized emails with similar features:

Advanced customization with Google Sheets.

• Open tracking.

• Scheduled sending.

• GDPR compliance.

• Free and paid plans.

But they also have notable differences:

User Experience

Mail Merge for Gmail includes a full template editor, allowing you to design and edit your emails directly within the tool, without switching between Gmail and Google Sheets. YAMM and Mailmeteor rely solely on Gmail drafts, requiring users to toggle between the two platforms.

Pricing

Mail Merge for Gmail offers both monthly and annual subscriptions, while YAMM and Mailmeteor only provide annual plans.

Security & Certifications

Mail Merge for Gmail and YAMM are ISO 27001 & CASA Tier 3 Verified, whereas Mailmeteor only mentions GDPR compliance.

User Reviews

Mail Merge for Gmail and Mailmeteor both have a 4.9/5 rating on Google Workspace Marketplace, reflecting high user satisfaction. YAMM has a slightly lower rating of 4.7/5.

Comparison

We have prepared a comparison table to give you a clearer overview.

Our best tips for your Frequently Asked Questions

Is mail merge in Gmail free?

Yes, mail merge in Gmail can be free, but with limitations. Tools like Mail Merge for Gmail offer free plans, usually limited to 20–50 emails per day. To send more, you need a paid plan. Gmail’s native mail merge is also free, but it lacks advanced features such as personalization and tracking.

Can you do a mail merge with attachments?

No, Gmail’s native mail merge does not support attachments. However, third-party extensions like Mail Merge for Gmail allow sending personalized emails with specific attachments for each recipient. These tools integrate with Google Sheets, letting you attach files stored in Google Drive. This is ideal for mass-sending invoices, certificates, or other personalized documents.

How to do a mail merge with Google Docs?

Google Docs does not have a built-in mail merge feature. However, you can create a template in Google Docs and use Google Sheets with an add-on like Mail Merge for Gmail to personalize and send emails. Some tools also allow merging data from Sheets into a Google Docs file before sending it via Gmail.

How to do a mail merge in Outlook?

Outlook has a built-in mail merge feature via Microsoft Word and Excel. Here’s how to use it:

Create a contact list in Excel.

Use Word to generate an email template.

In Word, go to Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Email Messages.

Link your Excel file and send emails via Outlook.

How to do a mail merge in Microsoft Word?

In Word, go to Mailings > Start Mail Merge.

Select the document type (letters, emails, labels, etc.).

Click Select Recipients to import a list from Excel.

Insert merge fields (name, address, etc.).

Click Finish & Merge to generate personalized documents or send emails via Outlook.

Conclusion

Mail merge with Gmail is a powerful way to send personalized bulk emails, but not all methods are equally effective. If you want a simple, efficient, and hassle-free solution, Mail Merge for Gmail is the best choice. Try it now!