Gmail Mail Merge
Send a personalised email to a whole list. Each person gets their own private message. 10 minutes, no add-ons.
1 Make a Google Sheet
Row 1 = column headers. One column must hold the email addresses.
| First Name | School | Topic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| derek.chan@plkps.edu.hk | Derek | PLK Primary School | your Workspace renewal |
| mary.wong@stpaul.edu.hk | Mary | St Paul's College | moving school mail to Gmail |
No blank rows in the middle — Gmail stops reading there.
2 Turn on Mail merge
In Gmail on a computer: Compose → full-screen the window → click in the To field.
↑ the toggle lives in the To row — not in the Send button
Not there? Full-screen the window first. Then check you're sending from your own address, with no scheduled send and Confidential mode off. Still missing means your Workspace plan lacks it — ask IT.
3 Load your list
Click the Sheets icon in the To field → pick your Sheet → choose the Email column → Insert. Check the recipient count looks right.
4 Write it with @ tags
Type @ in the subject or body and pick a column. Example:
Subject: @First Name, a question about @School
Hi @First Name,
I work with Hong Kong schools on @Topic — worth a short chat with @School?
Derek gets: "Hi Derek, I work with Hong Kong schools on your Workspace renewal — worth a short chat with PLK Primary School?"
Click a tag to set a default (e.g. there) so empty cells don't send "Hi ,".
5 Test, then send
Add yourself as a row, re-load the list, and send. There's no preview and no undo. Check your copy, delete the test row, reload, send for real.
Limits
- 1,500 recipients per day.
- Text only — no per-person images, links or attachments.
- No Cc, Bcc, or scheduled send.
- Gmail adds an unsubscribe link you can't remove.
Need per-person images or links? That needs a script instead — ask Tommy.