How to remove extra digits in mailmerge field

Question

Am running an outlook mailmerge but unable to format numbers to include thousand separator and limit number of digits after decimal point to 2

Answer 1

Hi @Hibbs, Martin,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Regarding to your question about removing extra digits in mailmerge field, mail merge often pulls raw numbers and ignores how they look in Excel, so values show too many decimals or lack the thousands separator.

Word uses the underlying numeric value from the data source (Excel/CSV/contacts), not the cell’s display format, so long precisions like 1234.56789 appear in the merged document unless you add formatting in the merge field itself.

To understand your situation better, could you please tell me if your numbers coming from Excel or a CSV file?

While we're waiting for your answer to the question above, here are a few steps that you could try on the time:

1/ Add a numeric picture switch to the MERGEFIELD:

This formats the field at merge time.

• In Word, click inside the merge field (e.g., <<Amount>>), then right‑click Toggle Field Codes (or press Shift+F9). You should see something like: { MERGEFIELD Amount }
• Edit it to add a space and the numeric switch: { MERGEFIELD Amount # "#,##0.00" }
• Which:

#,##0.00 is thousands separator + exactly 2 decimals.

#,##0 is thousands separator, no decimals.

#,##0.## is up to 2 decimals (suppresses trailing zeros).

Click inside the field and press F9 to update, then preview/finish the merge.

• Click inside the field and press F9 to update, then preview/finish the merge.

Please note that: use Word’s field braces via Ctrl+F9,don’t type { } by hand.

• For example:

{ MERGEFIELD Amount # "#,##0.00" }   >  12,345.67

{ MERGEFIELD Amount # "#,##0" }      >  12,346

{ MERGEFIELD Amount # "#,##0.##" }   >  12,345.7  (no trailing zero)

Reference: Format a number or currency field

2/ Round at the source in Excel and merge that column:

Create a helper column with =ROUND(A2,2) and use that column in your merge.

This can help, but Word may still display the full precision unless you also use the # switch, so treat this as a complement, not a replacement.

You can see: Mail Merge problem

3/ Currency symbol or special formats (if needed):

• To include a currency symbol: { MERGEFIELD Amount # "$#,##0.00" }
• You can also customize for negatives: { MERGEFIELD Amount # "#,##0.00;(#,##0.00)" }

4/ Update and preview tips:

• Turn Preview Results off before editing switches then turn it back on to verify.
• Ensure there’s a space before # in the field code.
• Press Alt+F9 to toggle all field codes on-off if needed.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, please share a screenshot of one field code so we can work together to resolve this.   

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

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Answer 2

To format numbers in a mail merge field in Microsoft Word to include a thousand separator and limit the number of digits after the decimal point to 2, you can use the following approach:

1. Select the Mail Merge Field: Click on the mail merge field in your Word document that you want to format.
2. Toggle Field Codes: Press Alt + F9 to toggle the field codes. You will see something like «FieldName».
3. Add Formatting Switches: Modify the field code to include formatting switches. For example, if your field is «FieldName», change it to: «FieldName \\# "#,0.00"» This format will:
   • Use # for optional digits (thousand separator).
   • Use 0 to ensure that at least one digit appears.
   • Use .00 to limit the decimal places to two.
4. Update the Field: After making the changes, press Alt + F9 again to toggle back to the normal view, and then right-click on the field and select "Update Field" to see the changes.

By following these steps, your mail merge field should now display numbers formatted with a thousand separator and limited to two decimal places.

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References:

• Excel data doesn't retain its formatting in mail merge operations in Word

Answer 3

For more, see Graham Mayor's page http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm.