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Mail merge with text file as source does not work with extended characters in Word

Article ID: 292101 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q292101

SYMPTOMS

When you use an MS-DOS text file for the source for a mail merge, extended characters in the source file may not be merged correctly. The characters may be replaced with other characters.

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CAUSE

This behavior occurs when both of the following conditions are true:

The source document was created with the same or similar character set as the default character set of the current computer.
The Confirm conversion at open check box is not selected.

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RESOLUTION

To prevent this problem, select the Confirm conversion at open check box. To do this, follow these steps:

In Microsoft Word 2002 and in Microsoft Office Word 2003:
1. Start Word 2002 or Word 2003.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
3. On the General tab, click to select the Confirm conversion at open check box, and then click OK.
In Microsoft Office Word 2007:
1. Start Word 2007.
2. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.
3. On the Advanced tab, on the General section click to select Confirm file format conversion on open check box, and then click OK.