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Mail merge issue with Avery and Word

douglas wheeler 0 Reputation points
2026-05-16T19:00:59.2+00:00

avery 5160 labels and word mail merge, getting duplicates. Have cleaned up list and repeated several times same results. even rebooted computer. followed MS instructions and still the same

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
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  1. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-05-17T08:34:23.0733333+00:00

    If you press ALT+F9 in the mail merge main document to toggle on the display of the field codes, you should see a { NEXT } field BEFORE the first MERGEFIELD field in all of the labels on the page except for the first label

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-16T19:01:15.4133333+00:00

    Duplicates on Avery 5160 labels during mail merge are usually caused by the labels not being properly replicated with the merge fields, or by the presence of the «Next Record» field in the wrong places.

    Use this sequence to correct the layout and avoid duplicates:

    1. Set up the labels via the Mail Merge Wizard
      • In Word, go to Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard.
      • Choose Labels.
      • Select Label Options, set Label vendors to Avery US Letter, and choose 5160 as the Product number. Select OK.
    2. Connect the correct recipient list
      • In the wizard, choose Next: Select recipients.
      • Click Browse, select the Excel file with the addresses, choose the correct table/sheet, then OK.
    3. Insert the address block correctly
      • Choose Next: Arrange your labels.
      • Click in the first label only and select Address block.
      • Configure the address block as needed and click OK.
    4. Replicate the first label to all labels
      • Still on Arrange your labels, click Update all labels.
      • This step is critical: it copies both the AddressBlock field and the «Next Record» fields to the rest of the labels so each label uses the next row in the list instead of repeating.
    5. Preview and verify there are no duplicates
      • Click Next: Preview your labels.
      • Scroll through the pages and confirm each label shows a different recipient.
      • If some labels repeat, go back to Arrange your labels and click Update all labels again to ensure the fields are correctly replicated.
    6. Print the labels
      • Choose Complete the merge (or Complete the progress depending on version).
      • Select Print, then OK.

    If labels still duplicate after these steps, recreate the label document from scratch using the wizard, making sure to:

    • Insert the Address block only once in the first label.
    • Use Update all labels exactly once after inserting the Address block.
    • Avoid manually copying/pasting labels, which can remove or misplace the «Next Record» field.

    For Avery labels in general, Avery 5160 is fully supported via the built-in label options in Word, so no separate Avery Wizard is required.

    References:

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