Hello:

You can have the file open in Excel at the same time you are using it to
merge.

The following is what I do to do a merge: (Are these the
steps you are following, if not given them a try.)

1. Open Excel and the file you intend to use (I assume that you
have your data in rows for each record and the columns are the
fields.) By opening the file in Excel you know for sure you
have access at that moment.

2. Open Word
3. Open a blank document
4. Open the Mail Merge Toolbar.  (View/Toolbars/Mail Merge)
5. Assuming you have not customized this toolbar the second Icon
from the left should not be greyed out, the remaining probably are.
Click on that Icon and Select Source Box should open. Navigate to
the directory where the file is stored. Select that file and click
it in the confirm Data Source Box choose OLE DB Database Files
If that is successful the next box should bring up a list of
Sheets in the work book. It will have a check Box: First Row of
Data contains column headers (check this if it does).
Choose the sheet that has your data. If everything works
you now are looking at a blank page.
If that worked, then the sixth Icon from the left should
contain your column headings (fields) and you can begin to create
your merge document.

See if that works, if not where do you get the message?

Pieter Vandenberg