Filter & Track Rows

How to filter and track rows of data for a mail merge?

This article describes how to filter and track rows of data for a mail merge when you want to exclude rows from a mail merge, or if you want to mail merge new rows added since the last merge. This article also describes how to set up a conditional logic formula to exclude rows from a mail merge.

From Google Docs

From Google Sheets

From Google Slides

Advanced feature: Conditional logic formula to exclude rows from mail merge

From Google Docs

Step 1: Create new column

In Google Sheets, create a new column and name it as needed (e.g., Filter Rows to Merge).

Step 2: Exclude rows from merging

Type x (or any other text ) in cells in the Filter Rows to Merge column for the rows you want to exclude from merging.

Step 3: Click Options

Click on Options in the Mail Merge sidebar.

Step 4: Select Fliter Rows to Merge column

Select the Filter Rows to Merge column from the Track Merged Rows and Merge Specific Rows drop-down menus.

Step 5: Click Save

Click on Save to apply the changes.

NOTE:

Following a mail merge, the empty cells in the Filter Rows to Merge column are populated with the date/time the merge took place. To merge these rows again, you need to clear/delete the date/time values.
If you do not want to auto-populate the merged rows with the date/time the merge took place, select N/A from the Track Merged Rows drop-down menu.

From Google Sheets

Step 1: Start Mail Merge add-on

Start Mail Merge add-on in Google Sheets; a new column called Filter Rows to Merge is created automatically.

Step 2: Exclude rows from merging

Type x (or any other text ) in cells in the Filter Rows to Merge column for the rows you want to exclude from merging.

NOTE: Following a mail merge, the empty cells in the Filter Rows to Merge column are populated with the date/time the merge took place. To merge these rows again, you need to clear/delete the date/time values.

From Google Slides

Step 1: Create new column

In Google Sheets, create a new column and name it as needed (e.g., Filter Rows to Merge).

Step 2: Exclude rows from merging

Type x (or any other text ) in cells in the Filter Rows to Merge column for the rows you want to exclude from merging.

Step 3: Click Options

Click on Options in the Mail Merge sidebar.

Step 4: Select Filter Rows to Merge column

Select the Filter Rows to Merge column from the Merge Specific Rows drop-down menu.

Step 5: Click Save

Click on Save to apply the changes.

NOTE: Following the mail merge, the empty cells in the Filter Rows to Merge column are populated with the date/time the merge took place. To merge these rows again, you need to clear/delete the date/time values.

Advanced feature: Conditional logic formula to exclude rows from mail merge

Instead of typing x in the Filter Rows to Merge column to exclude rows, you can create a conditional logic formula in Google Sheets to determine which rows should be excluded. In the example below, rows for employees whose gender is equal to F are excluded from the merge.

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