Answer

To mail merge address labels from Excel, prepare a clean Excel table of addresses, open Word, start a Labels mail merge, connect to the Excel file as your recipient list, insert the address merge fields (or the Address Block), update the label layout to every label, preview the results, and finish the merge to print or create a new document with the labels. 

Preparation — get the Excel file ready

1. Put column headers on the first row.

2. Ensure each column has a single type of data (for example: FirstName, LastName, Address1, City, State, Zip).

3. Format ZIP/postal-code columns as text to preserve leading zeros.

4. Remove empty rows and blank columns inside the range.

5. Convert the range to an Excel Table (select any cell in the data and press Ctrl + T). Using a table makes selection and filtering simpler for Word. 

Step-by-step: create labels in Word (Windows and Mac — main flow)

1. Save and close the Excel workbook you will use as the data source.

2. In Word, open a new blank document.

3. On the Mailings tab choose Start Mail Merge → Labels. 

4. In Label Options select your label vendor and product number that matches your label sheets. Choose New Label only when your label size is not in the list. 

5. On the Mailings tab choose Select Recipients → Use an Existing List…, then browse to and open your Excel file. When prompted, pick the worksheet or named table that contains your addresses. 

6. Click Address Block to insert Word’s formatted address field, or use Insert Merge Field to place specific columns (for example «FirstName» «LastName», «Address1», «City», «State» «Zip»). 

7. After laying out one label, click Update Labels to copy that layout to every label on the sheet.

8. Use Preview Results to page through records and verify layout and spacing.

9. When everything looks correct choose Finish & Merge → Print Documents to print directly or Edit Individual Documents to generate a merged Word file you can inspect and save. 

Windows vs Mac differences

1. Menu location: Windows and macOS use the Mailings tab in modern Word for the same core commands. Mac Word may display a Mail Merge Manager task pane in some versions, which groups the steps differently. Use the interface your Word version shows but follow the same sequence (Document type → Select recipients → Arrange fields → Preview → Finish). 

2. Data formatting: Excel for Mac and Excel for Windows behave the same regarding tables and text-formatted ZIP codes. Save the file as a regular .xlsx workbook.

3. Older Mac Word: very old Mac releases use different menu wording; search your Word version’s help for “mail merge” if commands do not appear on the ribbon. 

Common problems and quick fixes

1. Blank labels after merge → Check for empty rows inside your data and verify the table header row is the first row; ensure Word is linked to the correct worksheet or named table. 

2. First record showing as header → Make sure the first row contains only the column headings, and there are no merged cells above the data. 

3. ZIP/postal code losing leading zeros → Format that column as Text in Excel before connecting. Only the first label shows data, and the rest are blank → Use Update Labels after inserting fields on the first label so the layout is copied to every label, or check for missing Next Record fields when working without the labels template. 

4. Save and reuse → Save the Word mail merge document; it will stay connected to your Excel source so you can run the merge again later. 

Best-practice tips

1. Test print one sheet on plain paper and hold it behind a label sheet against a light source to confirm alignment before using label stock. 

2. Use consistent address formatting in Excel to reduce empty lines on the labels.

3. Use a single worksheet or a named table to avoid selecting the wrong tab during the merge. 

How do I check that Word sees my Excel columns?

Word shows the column headers as merge fields when you use Insert Merge Field or the Address Block dialog. If the headers do not appear, confirm the first row in Excel contains plain-text headers and the workbook is saved; reconnect using Select Recipients → Use an Existing List… and pick the correct sheet or table. 

Where can I get official step-by-step help?

Microsoft’s support pages give step-by-step instructions for printing labels from an Excel mailing list and for using Address Block and Merge Fields in Word. Review the official guides for screenshots and label-option details. 

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