How to Print Labels From Google Sheets

Google Sheets cannot print labels on its own. When you choose File, then Print, Sheets prints the grid of cells, not labels. There is also no label maker in Google Sheets. Here is how to print labels from Google Sheets anyway.

You can still get your labels done in a few minutes. You have two good options. You can copy the list into a label tool, or you can export the list and run a mail merge in another program. This guide covers both.

Step 1: Tidy your Google Sheet

A clean list gives clean labels. Check these things before you start.

1. Keep one heading row at the top, such as Name, Address, City, State and ZIP.
2. Put each part of the address in its own column. A single cell with the whole address is hard to split later.
3. Remove blank rows. A blank row can make a blank label.
4. Unmerge any merged cells. Merged cells do not copy well.
5. Check the ZIP codes. See the common problems section below.

What your list should look like

Here is a small example. The heading row is the first line. Each row after it becomes one label.

Keep the columns in this order if you can. You do not need every column on the label, though. You can choose which ones to print. For example, you might print only the name, street and city, and leave out the state.

If one person has two lines of address, put the second line in its own column, such as Address 2. Leave the cell empty for people who do not need it. An empty cell does not make a blank label. It only leaves that line out.

Option 1: Copy the list into a label tool

This is the quickest way for most people.

1. In Google Sheets, select the whole list, including the heading row. Press Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on a Mac.
2. Open LabelPeel in your web browser. You can try it without an account.
3. Paste the rows into the box. Keep the heading row, because it names your columns.
4. Choose your sheet. Common choices are Avery® 5160 for address labels and Avery® 5163 for shipping labels. LabelPeel makes one label for each row.
5. Check the columns. LabelPeel guesses which columns go on the label. Tick or untick columns to change them.
6. Adjust the wording if you want. Type your own text with {Column} placeholders, such as {Name} on one line and {Address} on the next.
7. Change the look if you want. You can set the font, size, bold, italic, underline, colors and alignment. Click any label to type on it. Choose "All labels" to change every label at once, or "Only this one" to change a single label.
8. Use the AI helper if you prefer plain words. Type a change such as "put the first name on its own line in big letters" and it changes every label at once.
9. Print. Use the print checklist, print a test page on plain paper, then print on the sheet at 100% or Actual size.

Print at 100% or Actual size. If your printer is a little out of line, you can nudge everything by millimetres in the print step. If you have a half-used sheet, use "start at label N" so you do not waste the sheet.

You can also upload the file. LabelPeel accepts .xlsx, .xls, .ods, .csv, .tsv and .txt files.

Option 2: Export the sheet and run a mail merge

Use this if you already work in Word, or you need a mail merge with more control.

1. In Google Sheets, click File, then Download, then Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). This saves a copy of the sheet to your computer.
2. Open the file in Excel, or keep it ready for Word.
3. In Word, follow the steps for a label mail merge. See how to mail merge labels from Excel to Word.
4. Choose the label sheet, then finish the merge and print.

Remember that the Excel copy is a one-time copy. If you change the Google Sheet later, download it again.

Option 3: Build a table in Google Docs

If you only have a few labels, you can build a table in Google Docs. Each cell is one label. This method is slower for long lists. For the full steps, read how to make labels in Google Docs.

Which option should you pick?

Common problems when printing labels from Google Sheets

Some labels are blank. Your sheet probably has blank rows. Delete them, then copy the list again.

The ZIP codes lost their first zero. Google Sheets treats ZIP codes as numbers, so 01234 becomes 1234. Select the ZIP column, open the number format menu, and choose Plain text. Then type or paste the codes again.

Names or addresses are split across two labels. One cell has a line break or an extra space. Remove the extra breaks in the sheet and copy the list again.

The labels do not line up. Print at 100% or Actual size. Check the paper size, which should be Letter for US sheets or A4 for A4 sheets. Print a test page on plain paper and hold it over the sheet.

You need to start on a half-used sheet. Use the "start at label" setting in the print step to skip the used labels.

Keep the list in your account

If you sign up, LabelPeel saves your projects in your account. You can search them from the dashboard. This helps when you print the same list again next month.

Next steps

If your list is in Excel rather than Google Sheets, read how to print labels from Excel. For Word users, see how to print labels in Word. If you need the size of a sheet, use the Avery label sizes chart.

You can start free, or browse all label sheets.