Step 2 How to Create and Format Mail Merge Labels in Microsoft Word Part 1

Learn how to set up, filter data, and format custom mail merge labels in Microsoft Word using an existing template and an Excel data source.

July 29, 2026 By Adriana Mondone

This guide explains how to set up and format custom mail merge labels in Microsoft Word using an existing template and a spreadsheet data source. Completing this ensures you can efficiently generate accurate, properly formatted tags for students or attendees without printing blank entries.

This workflow is ideal for administrative staff or event coordinators who need to generate custom car rider tags, name badges, or mailing lists. It should be used after preparing your recipient data in a CSV or Excel file.

Start the Mail Merge

Step #1: Click Mailings in the main navigation ribbon. — Click **Mailings** in the main navigation ribbon.

Step #2: Click Start Mail Merge. — Click **Start Mail Merge**.

Step #3: Select Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard... from the dropdown menu. — Select **Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard...** from the dropdown menu.

For this specific template, choose Letters rather than Labels to ensure the document prints correctly.

Step #4: Select Letters in the Mail Merge sidebar. — Select **Letters** in the Mail Merge sidebar.

Step #5: Click Next: Starting document at the bottom of the pane. — Click **Next: Starting document** at the bottom of the pane.

Step #6: Select Start from existing document. — Select **Start from existing document**.

Step #7: Click More files... to locate your downloaded template. — Click **More files...** to locate your downloaded template.

Step #8: Select your template file from your computer. — Select your template file from your computer.

Select and Filter Recipient Data

Step #10: Click Browse... in the Mail Merge pane to use an existing list. — Click **Browse...** in the Mail Merge pane to use an existing list.

Step #11: Select your CSV or Excel data file containing the recipient list. — Select your CSV or Excel data file containing the recipient list.

Always filter out blank records. This ensures you do not waste labels by printing tags with no names on them.

Step #13: Click Filter... in the Mail Merge Recipients window. — Click **Filter...** in the Mail Merge Recipients window.

Step #14: Set the Field dropdown to Student. — Set the **Field** dropdown to **Student**.

Step #15: Set the Comparison dropdown to is not blank. — Set the **Comparison** dropdown to **is not blank**.

If your data is not already grouped by grade level, sort it now:

Step #16: Click the Sort Records tab. — Click the **Sort Records** tab.

Step #17: Choose Grade from the Sort by dropdown menu. — Choose **Grade** from the **Sort by** dropdown menu.

Step #18: Click OK to apply the query options, then click OK again to close the recipients dialog. — Click OK to apply the query options, then click OK again to close the recipients dialog.

Insert and Format Merge Fields

Step #19: Click Next: Write your letter in the Mail Merge pane. — Click **Next: Write your letter** in the Mail Merge pane.

Step #20: Click More items.... — Click **More items...**.

Step #21: Select the Car_Rider field and click Insert. — Select the **Car_Rider** field and click **Insert**.

Step #22: Select the Student field and click Insert. — Select the **Student** field and click **Insert**.

Step #23: Click Close to exit the Insert Merge Field dialog. — Click **Close** to exit the Insert Merge Field dialog.

Structure the fields inside your first label box so they are uniform.

Press Enter to place the placeholders on separate lines.

Type in any standard text you want printed on every label, such as the school year and group name (e.g., "26-27 CUBS").

Step #26: Navigate to the Home tab to style your text. — Navigate to the **Home** tab to style your text.

Step #27: Highlight the standard text and select your desired font style (e.g., Amasis MT Pro Black). — Highlight the standard text and select your desired font style (e.g., **Amasis MT Pro Black**).

Step #28: Select your desired font size (e.g., 28). — Select your desired font size (e.g., 28).

Step #29: Highlight the <<Student>> merge field and select a clean font like Calibri. — Highlight the `<<Student>>` merge field and select a clean font like **Calibri**.

Step #30: Set the student font size to 18 so that long names fit on a single line without wrapping. — Set the student font size to 18 so that long names fit on a single line without wrapping.

Apply Layout to Multiple Labels

To populate the rest of the boxes in your document, copy your formatted text and use a rule to advance to the next recipient.

Step #31: Click the Mailings tab. — Click the **Mailings** tab.

Step #32: Click inside the next empty label box on your template. — Click inside the next empty label box on your template.

Step #33: Click Rules. — Click **Rules**.

Step #34: Select Next Record. — Select **Next Record**.

If you require two identical tags per rider, do not add the "Next Record" rule on the adjacent tag. This allows the same student's data to print twice before moving to the next record.

Copy the formatted text and merge fields from your first label box.

Paste the contents into the remaining boxes, ensuring <<Next Record>> precedes the merged fields in each new box.

Q: Why do we choose "Letters" instead of "Labels" for the document type?

A: For this specific template, choosing "Letters" ensures that the custom dimensions print correctly on the page without Microsoft Word trying to reformat the document into standard label sheets.

Q: Why should I filter the data for students that are "not blank"?

A: Filtering out blank records ensures you don't print car tags with no names on them, which saves paper and label materials.

Q: What font size is recommended for the student names?

A: A font size of 18 is recommended. This ensures that even long student names fit on a single line without wrapping to a second line.

Q: How do I print two identical tags for the same car rider?

A: When pasting your formatted layout into adjacent boxes, do not insert the "Next Record" rule between them. This will print the same student's data twice before advancing to the next recipient in your list.

Term	Definition
Mail Merge	A Microsoft Word feature that automatically populates a document template with data from a spreadsheet or database.
Next Record	A rule in Mail Merge that tells Word to move to the next row of data in your list for the subsequent section of the document.
Merge Field	A placeholder inserted into a document that will be replaced by specific data (like a name or ID number) during a mail merge.

Step 2 How to Create and Format Mail Merge Labels in Microsoft Word Part 1

Learn how to set up, filter data, and format custom mail merge labels in Microsoft Word using an existing template and an Excel data source.

July 29, 2026 By Adriana Mondone

Start the Mail Merge

For this specific template, choose Letters rather than Labels to ensure the document prints correctly.

Select and Filter Recipient Data

Always filter out blank records. This ensures you do not waste labels by printing tags with no names on them.

If your data is not already grouped by grade level, sort it now:

Insert and Format Merge Fields

Structure the fields inside your first label box so they are uniform.

Press Enter to place the placeholders on separate lines.

Type in any standard text you want printed on every label, such as the school year and group name (e.g., "26-27 CUBS").

Apply Layout to Multiple Labels

To populate the rest of the boxes in your document, copy your formatted text and use a rule to advance to the next recipient.

If you require two identical tags per rider, do not add the "Next Record" rule on the adjacent tag. This allows the same student's data to print twice before moving to the next record.

Copy the formatted text and merge fields from your first label box.

Paste the contents into the remaining boxes, ensuring <<Next Record>> precedes the merged fields in each new box.

Q: Why do we choose "Letters" instead of "Labels" for the document type?

A: For this specific template, choosing "Letters" ensures that the custom dimensions print correctly on the page without Microsoft Word trying to reformat the document into standard label sheets.

Q: Why should I filter the data for students that are "not blank"?

A: Filtering out blank records ensures you don't print car tags with no names on them, which saves paper and label materials.

Q: What font size is recommended for the student names?

A: A font size of 18 is recommended. This ensures that even long student names fit on a single line without wrapping to a second line.

Q: How do I print two identical tags for the same car rider?

Term	Definition
Mail Merge	A Microsoft Word feature that automatically populates a document template with data from a spreadsheet or database.
Next Record	A rule in Mail Merge that tells Word to move to the next row of data in your list for the subsequent section of the document.
Merge Field	A placeholder inserted into a document that will be replaced by specific data (like a name or ID number) during a mail merge.