How to Create a Mail Merge for Address Labels

Microsoft Office offers an extremely convenient way to create letters and labels through its Mail Merge function in MS Word, but it can be confusing for many users at first.

To begin, users should have a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet created with a separate column for each type of data they will be using. For addresses, the column headings should read simliar those listed below. For a screenshot example, please refer to the attached picture.

Column A = First Name
Column B = Last Name
Column C = Mailing Street 1
Column D = Mailing Street 2
Column E = Mailing Street 3
Column F = Mailing City
Column G = Mailing State
Column H = ZIP/Postal Code
Column J = Country

Once the MS Excel spreadsheet has been filled in with all relevant recipients and their addresses, it is time to create the word document that will format the labels themselves. In MS Word, select "Tools" from the top menu, then "Letters and Mailings," and then "Mail Merge." This will open a frame on the right hand side of the window to serve as a guide through the process.

In the side frame, select "Labels" and then click "Next: Starting Document." Then choose "Change Document Layout," as this will allow users to change the current blank document format to a label format; then click "Label options." From the list of product numbers, choose the label brand and type that will be used for printing, then click OK.

Under "Next: Select Recipients," the Excel recipient data is retreived. Since the necessary list of recipients has already been created in MS Excel, choose "Use an Existing List." Then click on "Browse" and find the relevant Excel file from where it is stored on the computer. This will prompt users to also choose the appropriate tab and recipients from the Excel sheet being opened.

Once the recipient address list has been chosen from Excel, click on "Next: Arrange Your Labels" in the MS Word side frame. Here, there are options of how to arrange the labels. Instead of clicking on "Address Block," which will produce a generic block based on pre-chosen field codes, choose "More Items." By choosing "More Items," users can select exactly the same headings as were used in their Excel file, ensuring that no fields are lost.

Choose each necessary field and click Insert. These will all appear in the top left label area. Once all fields have been chosen, arrange them in the label as they should appear in address format, as shown below.

First_Name Last_Name
Mailing_Street 1
Mailing_Street 2
Mailing_Street 3
Mailing_City, Mailing_State
ZIP__Postal Code

Country
Once fields have been arranged in the first label, click on "Update all Labels" in the side frame. Then click "Next: Preview Your Labels," which will fill in all fields with data taken from the linked Excel spreadsheet.

Click "Next: Complete the Merge" to finalize the mail merge. After setting up the label sheets in the printer, click "Print" in the side frame of the MS Word window and choose "All."