Create personalized letters, notices, receipts or invitations in bulk. Paste or upload your CSV or Excel list, write the template with {{Column}} placeholders, check each record in the live preview, and download one combined PDF or a ZIP with a separate, individually named PDF for every row.
Last updated:
1 Data
2 Template
Formatting: **bold**, *italic*, # Heading, start a line with ^ to center or > to right-align, a line with only --- for a page break. Blank line = new paragraph.
3 Preview
Record 1
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How to use the Mail Merge to PDF
Add your data: paste CSV text with a header row or upload a .csv or .xlsx file. The table shows the records that were found.
Write the template and click the field chips to insert placeholders such as {{First Name}}. Use {{First Name|Customer}} to set a fallback for empty cells.
Check the preview: step through the records with the arrows or click a row in the table.
Set the layout: page size, font, margins, spacing and an optional logo.
Choose the output and press Generate PDFs: one combined PDF for printing, or a ZIP of separate PDFs named with your file name pattern.
Template syntax
Write
Result
{{First Name}}
The value of the First Name column for each record
{{First Name|Customer}}
The value, or "Customer" when the cell is empty
{{date}}
Today's date, e.g. October 24, 2026
{{row}}
The record number (1, 2, 3 …), handy for reference numbers and file names
**bold**, *italic*
bold, italic
# Subject line
A larger bold heading
^ text / > text
A centered / right-aligned line
--- on its own line
Page break
Single line break / blank line
New line (as in an address block) / new paragraph
Preparing your data
Use one header row with short, clear column names (First Name, Street, City). These names are what you put inside the braces.
Keep one record per row. Values containing commas or line breaks must be wrapped in double quotes in CSV files; spreadsheet programs do this automatically when exporting.
Format amounts and dates in the sheet the way you want them printed, for example $1,180.00 or November 15. The merge inserts the text as it is.
Test with a range first: generate records 1 to 3, check the PDFs, then run the whole list.
Combined PDF or separate files?
A combined PDF is easiest for printing and posting: every record starts on a new page, so you can print the whole batch in one go. A ZIP of PDFs suits emailing or archiving, because each person's document is a separate file with a meaningful name such as letter-3-Tanaka.pdf.
Frequently asked questions
How do I mail merge into separate PDF files?
Choose ZIP of PDFs as the output and set a file name pattern such as letter-{{Last Name}}.pdf. Each record becomes its own PDF named from its columns, and all files are delivered in one ZIP download. Duplicate names get a number added.
Can I use an Excel spreadsheet?
Yes. Upload an .xlsx file and the first worksheet is used, with the first row as column names. Dates formatted as dates in Excel are written out like October 24, 2026. Older .xls files are not supported; save them as .xlsx or CSV first.
What happens when a cell is empty?
The placeholder becomes empty. If a whole line contains only placeholders that are all empty, such as an unused Company or Address 2 line, the line is removed so the address block has no gaps. You can also give a fallback with {{Column|text}}, for example Dear {{First Name|Customer}}.
Do the placeholders have to match the column names exactly?
They must have the same spelling, but upper and lower case and spaces around the name do not matter, so {{first name}} matches the column First Name. Placeholders that match no column are listed in a warning above the preview.
Can the letters be longer than one page?
Yes. Text flows onto as many pages as needed, and a line containing only --- forces a page break. In the combined PDF each record always starts on a new page.
Which characters are supported?
The PDFs use the standard Times, Helvetica and Courier fonts, which cover English and Western European languages, including accented letters, curly quotes, dashes, € and £. Characters outside that set, such as Cyrillic, Greek, Asian scripts and emoji, are replaced with a question mark and a note is shown.
Is my mailing list uploaded?
No. The data, template and generated PDFs stay in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, which makes the tool suitable for customer and member lists.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.