How to print address labels from Google Sheets: 3 ways

Get the sheet ready

All three methods read the same thing: one row per recipient under a header row. A layout that works everywhere:

Name	Street	City	State	ZIP
Rosa Delgado	418 Alder Ln, Apt 2	Eugene	OR	97401
The Okafor Family	77 Birch St	Dayton	OH	45402

Keep the parts in separate columns. You can always join them on the label. Splitting a single messy address column later is much harder.
Fix the data before printing, not after. Sort, remove duplicates (Data → Data cleanup → Remove duplicates), and look for blank ZIP codes. A wasted label sheet costs more than five minutes of checking.
Add a “Send” checkbox column if you only want some rows this time (Insert → Checkbox). It makes the “only these people” job easy in every method.

Clean the list before printing

Most wasted label sheets come from the data, not the printer. Run these four checks first; each formula was tested on a sample list with a duplicate, a blank row and a missing city.

Remove duplicates. Select the data and choose Data → Data cleanup → Remove duplicates, or keep the original and list the unique label texts elsewhere with =UNIQUE(FILTER(F2:F, F2:F<>"")). Two people at one address with different names aren’t duplicates to Sheets; our holiday card guide shows how to flag a shared street address.
Skip empty rows cleanly. Build the label text with =IF(A2="", "", TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A2, B2, TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, TEXTJOIN(", ", TRUE, C2, D2), E2))), so a blank row gives an empty cell and a missing city doesn’t leave a stray comma.
Keep leading zeros. ZIP codes such as 02108 lose their zero when Sheets treats them as numbers. Select the ZIP column, choose Format → Number → Plain text and retype the damaged ones, or use =TEXT(E2, "00000") in the label formula.
Sort for the mail. =SORT(FILTER(A2:F, A2:A<>""), 5, TRUE) orders the list by ZIP code (column 5), which makes bundles easier to sort and is required for some bulk-mail prices.

If addresses are in one column, split them first with our address splitting guide; separate columns make the label layout much easier to control.

1. Free: build the labels in a Google Docs table

This works with nothing but Google Sheets and Google Docs™. It suits a one-off batch of up to a few sheets of labels. The idea: make each label’s text in the sheet, arrange it in the same grid as the label sheet, then paste it into a Docs table sized to match.

Make the label text. In an empty column (say F), join the parts with line breaks:
=TEXTJOIN(CHAR(10), TRUE, A2, B2, C2&", "&D2&" "&E2)
Fill it down. CHAR(10) is a line break, and TRUE skips empty parts.
Arrange it like the label sheet. Most US address labels are 3 across. In an empty area, enter =WRAPROWS(F2:F31, 3). That turns 30 labels into a 3-column, 10-row block, one page of 30-up labels.
Copy that block and paste it into a new Google Doc. When Docs asks, choose Paste unlinked. You now have a table with one label per cell.
Set the page to the label sheet’s measurements. In File → Page setup, set the margins, then in Format → Table → Table properties set the column width, the minimum row height, cell padding and a 0 pt border. The numbers are printed on the label box or the maker’s template page. For the most common size, see our Avery 5160 guide, which has the exact figures.
Print one test on plain paper, hold it against a label sheet up to the light, adjust, then print on labels.

Where it falls short: one label with an extra line can push its row taller and shift every label below it. Docs tables have no gap between columns, so labels with a gutter need padding tricks. You redo the paste every time the list changes, and every page after the first means another WRAPROWS block. For 30 labels it’s fine. For 300, it’s an afternoon.

2. Word mail merge, if you have Word

Microsoft Word’s desktop app has had a proper label mail merge for decades, and it’s still a good choice if it’s already on your computer.

In Google Sheets, choose File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
In Word, go to Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Labels and pick your label maker and product number.
Select Recipients → Use an Existing List, and open the file you downloaded.
Click Address Block (or insert fields one by one), then Update Labels and Finish & Merge.

Where it falls short: it needs desktop Word, and the list is a downloaded copy. Edit an address in the sheet and you have to download it again. Label makers’ own free online designers work the same way: you upload a copy of your list.

3. An add-on: LabelRows

An add-on reads the rows straight from your sheet, so there’s no copy to fall out of date and no table to size by hand.

Install LabelRows from the Google Workspace Marketplace, then open your sheet and click the LabelRows icon (an orange tag) in the side panel on the right.
Pick the label size, for example Address labels 1″ × 2⅝″ (30 per sheet).
Write the label text with your column names in double braces, or press Suggest from headers:
{{Name}} {{Street}} {{City}}, {{State}} {{ZIP}}
Choose the rows: all of them, a range such as 2 to 40, the rows you’ve selected, or only rows ticked in a checkbox column.
Click Create labels. LabelRows creates a new Google Doc in your Drive with the labels laid out for that sheet. Print it from Docs.

4. Avery Design & Print

Avery’s free web tool, Design & Print Online at avery.com/templates, can merge a spreadsheet file into any Avery template. Download your tab with File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or .csv, open your template number on Avery’s site, use its import data (mail merge) step to upload the file, and place the fields. It has Avery’s designs and fonts, but it works from a copy of your data: every change in the sheet means a new download and import.

Which way to choose

You have	Use
Under 30 labels, once	The Google Docs table. Free, nothing to install.
Desktop Word and a list that rarely changes	Word mail merge.
A list you print from again and again, or only some rows each time	An add-on that reads the sheet directly, such as LabelRows.

Print so the labels line up

Most “my labels are off” problems come from the print settings, not the layout:

Print at 100%. In the print dialog, choose Actual size or Scale 100. “Fit to page” shrinks everything slightly, and the error grows down the page.
Match the paper size. US labels need Letter, not A4, in both the document and the printer.
Test on plain paper first and hold it against a label sheet up to the light. If everything is off by the same amount, shift the whole page. In LabelRows, the test page is free for every size, and Printer alignment nudges everything right or down by up to half an inch.
Feed one sheet at a time if your printer tends to skew label stock.

Troubleshooting

Some labels are blank. The range includes empty rows, or rows that are hidden by a filter but still in the range. Use a FILTER on a non-empty column, as above, and in LabelRows set a row range or a tick-box column so only the rows you want are read.

A label shows #N/A, #REF! or #VALUE!. The label text formula is pulling an error from another column, often a lookup that didn’t find a match. Fix the source cell, or wrap the lookup in IFERROR(…, "") so the label just leaves that line out.

Dates or ZIP codes print strangely. A date joined into text shows as a serial number such as 46327. Use TEXT(B2, "mmmm d, yyyy") inside the label formula. For ZIP codes, see the leading-zero fix above.

The list is longer than the free limit. LabelRows Free makes up to 60 labels per Doc. Split the job with row ranges (rows 2 to 61, then 62 to 121) and print each Doc in turn.

Word mail merge can’t see the sheet. Word reads a downloaded .xlsx file, not a Google Sheet. Download it again after every change, and close it in Excel before you connect it in Word.

Frequently asked questions

Can Google Sheets print labels by itself?

No. Printing a sheet prints cells on a page, and there's no label layout. You need Google Docs (a table you set up yourself), a mail merge in another program, or an add-on.

Can I print only some addresses?

Yes. Add a checkbox column and tick the rows you want. With the Google Docs method, filter the sheet first and copy only the visible label text. LabelRows can print only the rows ticked in a checkbox or TRUE/FALSE column, the rows you've selected, or a row range.

Does LabelRows make a PDF?

No. It makes a new Google Doc in your Drive, which you print from Docs with File → Print. If you need a PDF, Docs can download one with File → Download → PDF.

Is LabelRows free?

Yes. The free plan covers 5 popular label sizes and up to 60 labels per Doc, and the alignment test page is free for every size. A Pro plan with more sizes and larger runs is planned but isn't on sale yet.

Why is the last line of my label cut off?

There's more text than the label height allows. Use a smaller font, shorten the line, or drop a line you don't need. In a Docs table, the row grows instead, which pushes every label below it out of line.

How do I remove duplicate addresses before printing labels?

Select the data and choose Data, then Data cleanup, then Remove duplicates. To keep the original list, use UNIQUE on the label-text column in another tab.

Can I print labels from Google Sheets on a Mac or Chromebook?

Yes. The Google Docs table method and LabelRows both run in the browser, so they work on any computer with Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox. Only the Word mail merge needs Word.

Does the label order go across or down?

Across, then down: labels 1 to 3 fill the first row of a 30-per-sheet page, 4 to 6 the second, and so on. Sort the list first if the order matters.

Disclosure: we make LabelRows, the Google Sheets add-on mentioned in this guide. We describe the other methods as fairly as we can, including when they are the better choice.

Google Sheets and Google Docs are trademarks of Google LLC. Avery is a registered trademark of Avery Products Corporation. Microsoft and Word are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. LabelRows and Cellbrook are not affiliated with or endorsed by Google, Avery or Microsoft.