dirkt68

Q: Pages 5.0 - No mail merge?!

I'm a bit shocked!

 

is there no longer any mail merge possible in Pages 5.0? There seems absolutely no way to link to Contacts or using a Numbers Document to add addresses for mail merge. searched the app up and down and searched in the help files.. but it seems AWOL.

 

Please. How can that be? A word processor without mail merge? Am I supposed to add and print hundreds of addresses now manually?

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 23, 2013 1:26 AM

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Q: Pages 5.0 - No mail merge?!

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  • by dontwantit,

    dontwantit dontwantit Jun 16, 2015 4:09 AM in response to John P.
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 4:09 AM in response to John P.

    Well here I will stick in a comment

    Yes I got Pages 5 for free.

    But when I read up about it Apple make out it is as good a Microsoft Word and has most of same functions.

    I don't use mail merge much but was about to start. You see I had learned how to create sequentially numbered raffle tickets on Word.

    Feeling great about that I decided (I am new to Apple ) I would use this project to learn how to use same tools and or find them in Pages.

     

    Well I looked and hunted and I did search on Pages Help for mail merge with nothing coming up at all.

    So as I do when Help is no help I googled it and found this forum.

    I actually wanted to swap to Apple software and not stick with Word I wanted to experience that Apple feeling of long term users who loved not just the machine but the programs that were designed specifically for it.

     

    I do love my late 2014 Mac Air but not so sure about programs yet.

    I already deleted a new mail folder I had just created only to find doing so deleted ALL the folders in the Mail program. [very glad I got had Apple care that day]
    Now I find a simple word processor program has not a mail merge capability. I am beginning to think Microsoft have spoiled me for my expectations were high and so far Mac software is behind the times.

     

    Problem is Apple has opted to go cross platform so had to simplify stuff to do it. Apple knows Microsoft Word is the business go to program so now it doesn't care since there is a MS Office for Mac. It provides the platform we the consumer buy the software we want.
    Then Apple slipped up, they gave out the perception that their old much liked office suite of programs/apps was being given to customers free. They did not bother to say it was a cut down version. Poetic licence at its worst.

     

    I was actually looking forward to using it but now I am not sure I need bother to go into it deeper till Apple make it the quality program it used to be for like most new users I do not have the luxury of deleting it and returning to an older version.
    As one or two folk did mention is absolutely TRUE.
    When I first stumbled across problems I actually went looking to see if yes this was actually the lower level program and there was a Pro version in App store. Well as a newbie I couldn't see it if it was there and not being familiar with Apple software was wary of buying yet another dud/modified program.
    I gave up.
    I went looking for apps for my raffle tickets originally for Pages but you think any Google links for them. Nope. Constantly Word was coming up for templates and then the gem of a video how to do what I was trying to do.

     

    So as a switcher I am now in two minds. I will enjoy having a nice portable machine with a lovely long battery life and the magnetic power connection but when it dies I may be a switcher back to Windows. I did love my ultrabook but found the screen was a bit small if on it for a long time at my desk.
    I love the touch screen on my Toshiba 2 in 1 so if Windows 10 will run my software and data CDs it is highly likely I will move to touch screen Windows laptop or even a Tablet computer.

     

    I am glad some of you can return to your previous Pages but alas that is not an option for many of us.

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Jun 16, 2015 4:18 AM in response to dontwantit
    Level 8 (35,750 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 16, 2015 4:18 AM in response to dontwantit

    Well you got that off your chest but seem to be saying simultaneously that you used the previous iWork '09 and that you don't have it.

     

    Which is it?

     

    Peter

  • by dontwantit,

    dontwantit dontwantit Jun 16, 2015 6:33 AM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 6:33 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

    Okay sorry that my reply implied I had an earlier version. I do not.

     

    Thanks for asking for clarification

     

    Suzanne

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Jun 16, 2015 6:52 AM in response to dontwantit
    Level 8 (35,750 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 16, 2015 6:52 AM in response to dontwantit

    You can purchase the DVD boxed set of iWork '09 from Amazon for less than $20.

     

    Just make sure to upgrade it to v4.3

     

    Peter

  • by dontwantit,

    dontwantit dontwantit Jun 16, 2015 10:07 PM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 16, 2015 10:07 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

    Wow that is pretty good price. I will go check it out.

     

    Just need to ensure DVDs are those that will run on my Australian computers.

     

    Thank you for your helpful advise.

     

    Suzanne

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Jun 17, 2015 12:13 AM in response to dontwantit
    Level 8 (35,750 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 17, 2015 12:13 AM in response to dontwantit

    The DVDs are good for any Mac. Apple does not make different computers for different countries, just different keyboards.

     

    You may not have noticed, but I am Australian.

     

    Peter

  • by jamesfromsherman,

    jamesfromsherman jamesfromsherman Jul 11, 2015 4:25 AM in response to Mark Alan Thomas
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Windows Software
    Jul 11, 2015 4:25 AM in response to Mark Alan Thomas

    its now worthless and weak.

  • by jamesfromsherman,

    jamesfromsherman jamesfromsherman Jul 11, 2015 4:32 AM in response to Thebamaguy63
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Windows Software
    Jul 11, 2015 4:32 AM in response to Thebamaguy63

    iWork is now worthless, just a dumbed down iPhone app now. No money in computers anymore, so they are throwing out software.

    It's the future and its mindless.

    jm

  • by jamesfromsherman,

    jamesfromsherman jamesfromsherman Jul 11, 2015 4:40 AM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Windows Software
    Jul 11, 2015 4:40 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

    good find, too bad we have to go backward to be productive.

  • by viaTech,

    viaTech viaTech Jul 19, 2015 3:09 PM in response to dirkt68
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 19, 2015 3:09 PM in response to dirkt68

    Steve jobs was always about the little things that make our lives easier. It is inconceivable to me that he would've condoned the decision to remove mail-merge functionality front Pages on OS x. I understand the need to enable cross-platform sharing and collaboration with its iOS cousin, but to do so at the expense of a feature so fundamental is something I think he would have found unfathomable.

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Jul 19, 2015 5:35 PM in response to viaTech
    Level 8 (35,750 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 19, 2015 5:35 PM in response to viaTech

    viaTech wrote:

     

    Steve jobs was always about the little things that make our lives easier. It is inconceivable to me that he would've condoned the decision to remove mail-merge functionality front Pages on OS x. I understand the need to enable cross-platform sharing and collaboration with its iOS cousin, but to do so at the expense of a feature so fundamental is something I think he would have found unfathomable.

    We hear that so often.

     

    Last time I looked Steve Jobs was not beatified, and unlikely to ever be as he was not a nice person.

     

    Plain truth was Steve Jobs made plenty of similar decisions leaving vast numbers of his customers in the lurch. This isjust Apple continuing the same path in extremis. The strange thing is that when they did sell products that were beautifully designed, simple to use and still were super productive they made no headway against their competitors. Now that they have introduced a confusing and often contradictory design, that demands considerable personal monitoring and prevents you getting most work done, they have crushed the opposition.

     

    So the market has spoken. It wants toys with a constant fashionable churning of design that are only good for selfies, twitter and making enough noise to block out how pointless their lives really are.

     

    Peter

  • by CherylMackay,

    CherylMackay CherylMackay Mar 7, 2016 2:35 PM in response to jimmyc-ATL
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iLife
    Mar 7, 2016 2:35 PM in response to jimmyc-ATL

    Jim -

     

    I need to do the same thing that you did (email merge).   Had my Word document created and my Excel list to import the email addresses from only to realize you cannot do an email merge in Apple Mail.   So I reverted to Outlook (Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac).   I went through all of the steps to create an email merge but when I got to the last step to complete the merge, the "email" option was greyed out.    What am I missing?   I'm starting to panic as my deadline approaches.  

     

    Thank you!

  • by jimmyc-ATL,

    jimmyc-ATL jimmyc-ATL Mar 7, 2016 4:24 PM in response to CherylMackay
    Level 1 (61 points)
    Mar 7, 2016 4:24 PM in response to CherylMackay

    Hi CherylMackay

    Did you make Outlook your default email program?

         To do that save your work and close MS Word, Excel (or whatever you are using).  Open Apple Mail, Go to the mail menu and open preferences,  choose default email reader, then choose Outlook. Then quit.

    Restart your Mac.

     

    Did you start from MS Word to create the merge?

    Click on the Mailing's Tab.  Click on the "Start Mail Merge" Button on the left but when you click on it use the little down arrow to drop down the select list and choose select Recipients.  That will bring in your source.  If there is an email address field you will be able to go to the next step.  Click on the same "Start Mail Merge" Button but this time choose "Email Message".

    Then when you are finished go to the button on the right and choose Finish and Merge - email should be there. Be careful - because it goes right into Outlook and the emails go out. Disconnect from the internet to have them queue up in your outbox.

     

    Hope that helps

     

    More details here:

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2016-macword/mail-merge-wo rd-2016-for-mac/76374cac-2172-4a1e-8cae-256770b15212?page=2&auth=1

     

      Note – they didn’t specify to restart their Mac, so it wasn't resetting and i think that's what frustrated many of these folks in that post.

  • by ich12,

    ich12 ich12 Apr 23, 2016 3:27 PM in response to dirkt68
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apr 23, 2016 3:27 PM in response to dirkt68

    YGBSM.  Guess I'll break out my 1986 PC with Wordperfect...or was it Wordstar?...with integrated Mail Merge.

     

    Dear Apple, Sometimes...you guys are idiots.

  • by VikingOSX,

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Apr 23, 2016 4:06 PM in response to ich12
    Level 7 (21,165 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 23, 2016 4:06 PM in response to ich12

    You are not talking to Apple here, as we are unpaid volunteers. Apple leadership and product teams do not participate in the Apple Support Communities.

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