Word will not print envelopes ?

Question

Went to print an envelope in word and the mailings box is dead, no response to any clicks on any level. Will try to work in safe mode.

Answer 1

Hi, @Bob Dayvault

If you haven’t tried it yet, first test Word in Safe Mode as you mentioned. If the "Mailings" tab works there, an add-in or Word customization may be interfering.

If the issue still persists, to help narrow down the issue:

1. Are you using Word on Windows or Mac?
2. Does the entire "Mailings" tab not respond, or only "Envelopes"?
3. Does it work normally in Safe Mode?

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Thanks!

Answer 2

Hello @Bob Dayvault

Testing Word in Safe Mode is a good next step here. Since the Mailings tab itself isn't responding, troubleshoot Word first rather than the printer or envelope settings.

Close Word completely, press Windows + R, and run:

winword /safe

Then open a blank document and try Mailings → Envelopes again. Office Safe Mode helps identify problems caused by add-ins or extensions.

If Mailings → Envelopes works in Safe Mode, an add-in is a likely cause. Restart Word normally and go to File → Options → Add-ins. At the bottom, select COM Add-ins → Go, temporarily disable the add-ins, and test again. Then re-enable them one at a time to identify the one causing the problem.

If the Mailings tab is still unresponsive even in Safe Mode, next, update Office through File → Account → Update Options → Update Now, then try an Office repair. Start with Quick Repair; if that doesn't resolve it, use Online Repair. Both repair options are for Microsoft 365/Office applications that aren't functioning correctly.

Once the Mailings controls are responding normally, the standard envelope workflow is Mailings → Envelopes → Options → Printing Options. Word gets envelope feed information from the printer driver, so if the dialog opens normally but the envelope then fails to print, I would move on to the printer driver, envelope size, and feed configuration.

If Safe Mode doesn't help, please share your Word version/build and Windows version, and whether the entire Mailings ribbon is unresponsive or only Envelopes/Labels. That will help narrow this down further.

References:

Open Office apps in Safe Mode

Create and print a single envelope in Word

Repair an Office application

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