Merge Rows in Batches

How do I merge rows in smaller batches?

This article describes how to merge rows in batches in order to overcome error messages received in Google Docs, such as:

1. “Service Documents failed while accessing document with ID [Google Doc ID]” when merging many rows into a single document and Google cannot handle the load.

2. "NetworkConnection failure due to HTTP 0" when sending emails with personalized PDF attachments takes a long time to finish.

Available From the Google Docs Add-on Only

Step 1

In Google Sheets, create a new column and name it whatever you want, e.g. Merged.

Step 2

In Google Docs, open the Options window by clicking the button in the Mail Merge sidebar.

Step 3

Select the Merged column from the Track Merged Rows and Merge Specific Rows drop-downs.

This will enable the add-on to track which rows have been merged already.

Step 4

Set the Batch Size to however many rows you want to merge in one go.

Batches of 50 or 80 are recommended to ensure a smooth mail merge process.

Step 5

Click Save to apply changes.

Step 6

Select Letters under Merge To and then press the Merge button to merge the first batch.

NOTE: Once the first batch is merged, you will need to manually press the Merge button again to merge the next batch. Repeat until all batches are merged.