Microsoft Word is a word processing program that has the ability to link with Access to create useful documents like mailing lists based on a list of customers. Word features a mail merge setting that allows you to set up a template mailing list containing any or all fields contained in the source database file. If you want to produce a mailing list, you don’t even have to open Access – Word can scan the database file for the information it needs and then produce a listing.

Select the table or object you want to consider for the mail merge and click the down arrow beside the OfficeLinks icon () in the Database toolbar. Please see the Word Help File for help on setting up a mail merge list.

Access also has the ability to export a datasheet, form, or report as Rich Text Format (.rtf) that can be read by Word. The RTF file format retains any formatting you might have applied to the datasheet, form, or report like fonts and styles. Even if you don’t have Microsoft Word installed on your machine, RTF is a fairly common file format and can be used by Microsoft WordPad (installed with every version of Windows since Windows 95) or a variety of other word processing programs.

To export a RTF document, first highlight the table, form, or report you want to export in the Database window. For this example, we will export the Employees table. Click File à Export to show the Export Table To dialogue box:

The features of this window should be fairly familiar to you now. Pick a save location, like the My Database folder (visible in the diagram above). Give the file a meaningful name like Employees Table and pick the Rich Text Format file format from the Save as type: combo box:

Click the Export button to export the file. To see the exported file, open Microsoft Word (or equivalent) and click File à Open. Select the Employees Table file and click Open to view the file: