Show labels in word

Create and print labels

Create and print a page of identical labels

1. Go to Mailings > Labels.

2. Select Options and choose a label vendor and product to use. Select OK.

   If you don’t see your product number, select New Label and configure a custom label.

   

3. Type an address or other information in the Address box (text only).

   

   To use an address from your contacts list select Insert Address .

4. To change the formatting, select the text, right-click, and make changes with Font or Paragraph.

5. Select OK.

6. Select Full page of the same label.

7. Select Print, or New Document to edit, save and print later.

If you need just one label, select Single label from the Mailings > Labels menu and the position on the label sheet where you want it to appear. Select OK, the destination, and Save. 

Create and print a page of the same label

1. Go to Mailings > Labels.

2. In the Address box, type the text that you want.

   To use an address from your contacts list select Insert Address .

3. To change the formatting, select the text, right-click, and make changes with Home > Font or Paragraph.

4. In the Label Options dialog box, make your choices, and then select OK.

   If you don’t see your product number, select New Label and configure a custom label.

5. Select OK.

6. Select Full page of the same label.

7. Select Print, or New Document to edit, save and print later.

Set up and print a page of the same label

1. Go to Mailings > Labels.

2. Select Options.

3. Choose Printer type, Label products, and Product number.

   If you don’t see your product number, select New Label and configure a custom label.

4. Select OK.

5. Type an address or other information in the Delivery Address box.

   To use an address from your contacts list select Insert Address .

6. To change the formatting, select the text and then select Font to make changes.

7. Select Full page of the same label.

8. Select OK.

9. Select Print, or New Document to edit, save and print later.

For info about merging data with labels, see Create mailing labels in Word by using mail merge or Mail merge in Word for Mac.

If you want to make return address labels, see Create return address labels.

Word for the web doesn’t support directly creating labels. However you can create labels from a template.

1. Open Word for the web.

2. Select a label template when you create a new document. Select More templates if you don’t see what you want.

   You can also go to templates.office.com, and search for label.

3. For a sheet of identical labels, fill out one label, and then copy/paste for the rest.

Tip: Print your labels to a sheet of paper before loading labels into the printer to make sure the text aligns with the labels.

See also

To create a page of different labels, see Create a sheet of nametags or address labels

To create a page of labels with graphics, see Add graphics to labels

To print one label on a partially used sheet, see Print one label on a partially used sheet

To create labels with a mailing list, see Print labels for your mailing list

To create labels using a template, see Microsoft label templates

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MS Word provides a feature to add an Envelope directly into the Word Document, and it is ready to get printed with a click. It also provides the Label feature, in which we can provide the address/information we want to get on the label, select its quantity, and good to go for printing on a click. Detailed use and steps with examples of Envelopes and Labels are as follows: 

Envelopes

Envelopes are used traditionally everywhere. It is a simple mode of communication between the sender and the receiver for e.g., Invitations, Congratulatory messages, etc. 

We can get an envelope inserted into our Word Document directly following the steps:

Step 1: Go to the Mailings bar and select the Envelopes bar under the Create bar.

Step 2: A dialog box will appear.

Step 3: Provide the details such as the Delivery address, Return address, etc., and then click on the Add to Document button below.

Step 4: An Envelope will get inserted into the MS Word document.

Labels

Labels refer to the information or Address (in particular) we want to get displayed on products, banners, etc. We can also set the quantity of the labels we want and can print them instantly. 

Follow the steps to get labels in MS Word:

Step 1: Go to the Mailings bar and select the Labels option under the Create bar.

Step 2: A dialog box will appear.

Step 3: Provide the details of the Address and select the options button below.

Step 4: Another dialog box will appear then Provide the Label information such as Label vendors, and the Product number, and then press the OK button.

Step 5: Labels will get inserted into the MS Word document.

If you print out labels using Microsoft Word, you might want to know how to view label outlines in Word. Interestingly, it is possible to do so.

In this post, we will share all the processes of enabling label outline or gridline on MS Word.

MS Word is one of the most used and powerful word processing programs in the world. Millions of people all over the world use Microsoft Word.

You might be one of them who want to create and print labels using MS Word. However, you might have noticed that you don’t see the outline or border around the labels when you print out multiple labels at once.

Also, if you have downloaded any label template for MS Word from the internet and opened it on MS Word, you would notice that there are no borders or outlines.

By default, the option to show the outline or gridline of labels is not enabled. To fix the issue, you will have to enable the ‘Gridlines’ option on MS Word.

How To Turn On Label Gridlines in MS Word

1. Click the Layout tab
   
2. Find Table Tools section
   
3. Click View Gridlines
   

This is a general guide for MS Word, if you want to know how to do it for a specific MS Word year, see below.

Depending on the version of MS Word you are using, the method of enabling this option will vary. So, we will be sharing all of the different methods in this post for our readers.

So, let’s begin…

Option #1 How to View Label Outlines in MS Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016

This method of enabling ‘Gridlines’ on MS Word will work on the MS Word version of 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. It is effortless to do so.

Remember, the document with the table should be opened on MS Word in the first place. Then you can proceed to the next steps.

Steps to Follow

• Click on any of the tables on the document you want to view the outline on.
• In doing so, a few options will appear on the top menu bar that will be under the ‘Table Tools’ option.
• From there, you will have to click on the ‘Layout’ tab.
• Then a few new options will appear on the top bar again. Among them, you will have to click on the ‘View Gridlines’ option. This option will be on the ‘Table’ section.
• Once the option is selected, it should be highlighted.

That is it! From now on, the label outlines would appear on your document as usual.

Option #2 How to View Label Outlines in MS Word 2003

If you are using an older version of MS Word-like the MS Word 2003, you can try this method. This is far easier than the previous method. Here we go…

Steps to Follow

• Open the document with the tables in it on MS Word 2003
• Now, click on the ‘Table Menu’ option from the top menu bar
• Then click on the ‘Show Gridlines’ option from there

Option #3 For Microsoft Word 2011 MAC

If you are using a MAC and have the MS Word 2011 version installed on your system, this method is for you.

So, let’s learn the method of enabling gridlines in a step by step manner.

Steps to Follow

• Launch the document you want to format on MS Word
• Now, click on the table on the document to bring out all the Table related tabs in the top menu bar
• Then, click on the ‘Table Layout’ tab from the top. Next, navigate to the ‘Settings’ group
• Finally, click on the ‘Gridlines’ option and you will be able to view the label outlines on the documents

Option #4 For Microsoft Word 2016 MAC

On the other hand, if you are a user of the MS Word 2016 Mac version, you will have to follow a different method. In this section, we will share that method with you. So, here we go…

Steps to Follow

• First, open the document on MS Word with the labels and tables on it
• Next, click on anywhere in the table on the document
• Then, click on the ‘Layout’ tab from the top menu bar. It will be next to the ‘Table Design’ tab
• Finally, click on the ‘View Gridlines’ option from the top of the page

Option #5 How To Get Print Gridlines in Microsoft Word?

Remember, this method is not available on the latest versions of MS Word. So, if you are using an older MS Word version, then you can give it a try. Here’s how to do this…

Steps to Follow

• Click on the ‘Design’ tab from the top menu bar.
• Then, open the ‘Page Setup’ dialogue box. You can click on the tiny launcher icon next to the ‘Page Setup’ option like the image below. Or you can right-click on the Page tab and then click on the ‘Page Setup’ option.

• Next, put a checkmark next to the ‘Gridlines’ option under the ‘Print’ option that will be on the ‘Print Setup’ option.
• Finally, click on the OK option, and you are done.

Sum Up

Microsoft Word is a feature-rich word processor. One of the prominent drawbacks of MS Word is that it is not free. Whereas there are other similar services like Goggle Docs is free. Still, many people like to use Microsoft Word.

We hope that this post will help you to view label outlines in MS Word. By the way, if you are interested in Microsoft, then you can read our post on 25 facts about Microsoft here. And, don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section down below!

Create and Print Labels in Microsoft Word Using Mail Merge and an Excel List (Generate Bulk Address or Mailing Labels)

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated January 9, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft^® Word^® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can create labels in Microsoft Word by running a mail merge and using data in Excel. This is typically used to generate and print bulk mailing labels for names and addresses of clients or other contacts. You’ll need to create a main document for the labels in Word and then connect to a data set or list in an Excel worksheet (although you can use other data sources). When you run the mail merge, you can create a new merged file with a label for each contact or merge directly to a printer.

Typically, labels are purchased in sheets that you place in the tray or document feeder of your printer and a product code is printed on the label packaging. Address labels are often called mailing labels or shipping labels.

Recommended article: How to Use Mail Merge in Word for Form Letters

Do you want to learn more about Word? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom Word courses >

Understanding the label mail merge process in Word

There are 8 steps in the Word mail merge process for mailing or address labels:

1. In Word, start the merge and specify the main document for labels. You’ll be prompted to specify the type and / or size of labels you want to generate.
2. Select the Excel source workbook containing the data set with names and addresses. Microsoft refers to a data set or database as a list. You would create the Excel source file before you begin the mail merge process.
3. In Word, insert fields into the first cell of the table (which would be the first label). This table is created automatically by Word.
4. Update or propagate the other labels on the sheet.
5. Format the main label document (such as changing font and size).
6. Select specific recipients or filter the recipient list (optional).
7. Preview the merged labels (optional).
8. Run the mail merge.

During the mail merge process, fields are inserted into the main document and appear in carets (such as <<Firstname>>). By default, when you click in a field, it is displayed with grey shading. When you run the merge, the fields are replaced by data from the source Excel file.

In this article, we’ll be using the Mailings tab in the Ribbon to set up and run a mail merge (not the Mail Merge Wizard).

Step 1: Start the merge and specify the main document as labels

The first step is to start the merge using Start Mail Merge on the Mailings tab in the Ribbon:

To start the merge and specify the main document for labels:

1. Create a new blank Word document.
2. Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Start Mail Merge in the Start Mail Merge group.
3. From the drop-down menu, select Labels. A dialog box appears.
4. Select the product type and then the label code (which is printed on the label packaging). You may also select New Label and then enter a custom name and size.
5. Click OK. Word creates a table in the main document. Next Record appears in each label cell to prompt Word to move to the next record in the data source.
6. If table gridlines are not displayed, click in the table and click the Table Tools Layout tab or Table Layout tab (on the right side of the Ribbon) and click View Gridlines in the Table Group.

In the following example, Avery US letter was selected as the Label vendor with Avery 5163 address or shipping labels:

Step 2: Select the source Excel file containing the data set

The next step is to connect to an Excel source file containing a list of names and addresses using Select Recipients. In the Excel worksheet, the first row must contain field names such as FirstName, LastName, Company, Address and so on. There should be no blank rows in the data set.

Select Recipients appears on the Mailings tab in the Ribbon in the Start Mail Merge group as follows:

In the following Excel worksheet, note that the field names are in the first row of the sheet being used a source:

To select a Microsoft Excel source file containing a worksheet with names and addresses for the labels:

1. In the main Word document, click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Select Recipients in the Start Mail Merge group. A dialog box appears.
2. Click Use an Existing List from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears.
3. Navigate to the Excel file containing the names and addresses you want to use as the source.
4. Double-click the Excel file. A dialog box appears.
5. Ensure First row of data contains column headers is checked.
6. Click the Excel worksheet containing the data you wish to use.
7. Click OK.

The following dialog box appears when you select an Excel file as the source for a merge:

Step 3: Insert fields from the source file in the main document in Word

Once you have connected to a source file, you can insert fields into the main document (which contains a table for the labels). You have the option of using a special Word field called Address Block or inserting individual fields.

Address Block appears as follows in the Ribbon:

To insert the Address Block field:

1. Click in the first cell of the table in the main document where you want to insert the recipient name and address.
2. Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and select Address Block in the Write & Insert Fields group. A dialog box appears. Word will display an address based on the source data.
3. In the samples on the left, select the address sample you prefer.
4. Check or uncheck other options if necessary.
5. Click OK. Word inserts an Address Block field into the main document.

In the Address Block dialog box, select a sample address in the area on the left:

To insert fields individually:

1. Click in the first cell of the table in the main document where you want to insert the recipient name and address.
2. Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and select Insert Merge Field in the Write & Insert Fields group.
3. From the drop-down menu, select the field you want to insert.
4. Press the spacebar, type text or press Enter if necessary.
5. Repeat for other fields you want to insert.

Step 4: Update the labels

To populate all of the labels in the table:

1. Click in the table in the main document.
2. Click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then select Update Labels or Propogate Labels in the Write & Insert group. Word will insert the fields in all label cells and include <<Next Record>> to go to the next record in the source data.

Step 5: Format the labels

You may need to apply formatting to the labels such as changing the font and size, changing alignment, and adjusting paragraph spacing.

Below is a sample main document for address labels (Avery US Letter 5163 shipping labels):

Step 6: Select specific recipients or filter the recipient list (optional)

You have the option of choosing specific recipients or filtering the recipient list if you don’t want to create labels for all contacts in the data source.

To choose specific contacts:

1. In the the main document in Word, click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Edit Recipient List in the Start Mail Merge group. A dialog box appears.
2. Uncheck the check boxes beside the recipients you do not wish to include in the mail merge.
3. Click OK.

To filter the source list:

1. In the the main document in Word, click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Edit Recipient List in the Start Mail Merge group. A dialog box appears.
2. Click Filter. A dialog box appears.
3. Select / enter the desired filtering options.
4. Click OK.

For example, below is a filter to display records from Toronto:

To remove the filter, repeat the process, but click Clear All in the Filter and Sort dialog box.

Step 7: Preview the results (optional)

Before you run the mail merge, to preview the results:

1. In the the main document in Word, click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Preview Results in the Preview Results group.
2. Click the arrows in the Preview Results group to go to the next or previous page.
3. Click Preview Results to view the fields again.

Step 8: Run the mail merge to create a new file or print the labels

The final step is to run the merge. You can either create a new merged document or merge directly to a printer.

To run the mail merge and create a new merged label document:

1. In the the main document in Word, click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Finish & Merge in the Finish group. A drop-down menu appears.
2. Click Edit Individual Documents. A dialog box appears.
3. Click Current Record or enter a selected range if necessary.
4. Click OK. Word creates a new merged document that you can edit, print and save.

The following dialog box appears when you select Edit individual documents:

To run the mail merge and print the merged file:

1. In the the main document in Word, click the Mailings tab in the Ribbon and then click Finish & Merge in the Finish group. A drop-down menu appears.
2. Select Print Documents. A dialog box appears.
3. Click Current Record or enter a selected range if necessary.
4. Click OK. A dialog box appears.
5. Select the desired printer and other printer options.
6. Click OK.

The following dialog box appears when you select Print Documents:

You will typically want to save the main document and the source file. If you save the merged file, you will have a record of the labels that were created.

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