How to mail merge from excel for labels

Mailing labels! Here's a step-by-step guide on how to mail merge from Excel to create labels:

Prerequisites:

1. Microsoft Excel 2010 or later version
2. Microsoft Word 2010 or later version (for creating the label template)
3. Label software or a label printer with a compatible driver

Step 1: Prepare your Excel data

1. Open your Excel spreadsheet and ensure it contains the data you want to use for your labels, such as names, addresses, and other relevant information.
2. Organize your data in a table format, with each column representing a field (e.g., First Name, Last Name, Address, City, State, ZIP Code).

Step 2: Create a label template in Word

1. Open Microsoft Word and create a new document.
2. Go to the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon and click on "Labels" in the "Create" group.
3. Select the type of label you want to use (e.g., Avery 5160) and click "OK".
4. Design your label template by adding fields for the data you want to merge. You can use the "Insert Merge Field" button to add fields from your Excel data.

Step 3: Mail merge your Excel data with the label template

1. Go back to your Excel spreadsheet and select all the data you want to use for your labels.
2. Go to the "Data" tab in the ribbon and click on "From Text" in the "Get & Transform Data" group.
3. Select "From Microsoft Query" and then "OK".
4. In the "Query Editor", select the "Excel" data source and click "Connect".
5. In the "Query Editor", select the table you want to use for your labels and click "Load".
6. Go back to your Word document and click on the "Mailings" tab in the ribbon.
7. Click on "Select Recipients" and then "Use an Existing List" to select your Excel data.
8. Click "OK" to merge your data with the label template.

Step 4: Print your labels

1. Once the mail merge is complete, you can print your labels by clicking on the "Print" button in the "Mailings" tab.
2. Make sure your label printer is selected as the default printer and adjust any print settings as needed.
3. Click "Print" to print your labels.

Tips and Variations:

• Use a label software like Avery Design & Print or Labeljoy to create and print your labels.
• Use a label printer with a compatible driver to print your labels directly from Excel.
• Use Excel's built-in "Label" feature to create labels without using Word. Go to the "Home" tab, click on "Labels" in the "Clipboard" group, and follow the prompts.
• Use a third-party add-in like Mail Merge Toolkit or Excel Mail Merge to simplify the mail merge process.

I hope this helps you create your mailing labels efficiently!