How to Make Name Tags From an Excel List

Saturday’s guest list lives in an Excel sheet with 120 names, and you’d rather not type each badge by hand. Keep the names in Excel and let Word print them: start a Labels mail merge, pick your badge sheet’s product number, connect the Excel file, lay out the first badge, copy it to the rest, then preview and print.

The steps fit Word and Excel for Microsoft 365, 2024 and 2021 on Windows; Mac notes are near the end.

What You Need Before You Start

• The Excel list with one person per row.
• Microsoft Word, which does the layout and printing through mail merge (Word’s tool for filling a template from a list).
• Badge stock: adhesive name badge sheets or card inserts for plastic holders. The product number printed on the package matters, because Word uses it to match the badge size. Plain paper works for a test run.

Get the Excel List Ready

Most merge problems start in the spreadsheet, so a few minutes here saves a reprint. Microsoft’s mail merge with an Excel spreadsheet page lists the main rules.

• Put a header row in row 1 with plain names such as First Name, Last Name, Company and Badge ID. These become the field names you pick in Word.
• Give each piece of the badge its own column. Separate first and last name columns let you make the first name bigger.
• If you want the full name on one line, you can add a helper column such as =A2&” “&B2 and merge that instead of two fields.
• Keep all the data on the first sheet of the workbook.
• Delete blank rows inside the list, and fix spelling and capitalization now; Word prints exactly what’s in each cell. If people signed up twice, remove duplicate rows first.
• Format ID or ZIP code columns as Text so leading zeros survive. Microsoft’s data source preparation page explains why; Excel can also turn some entries into dates if you’re not careful.
• Finish editing, save the file on your computer, and close it. Microsoft advises finishing edits before connecting, and moving or renaming the file later can break the link Word keeps to it.

A finished list might look like this fictional example for a book fair:

First Name	Last Name	Company	Badge ID
Ingrid	Halvorsen	Northwind Books	00417
Samuel	Okafor	Riverside Library	00418

Pick the Badge Size in Word

1. Open a blank document in Word.
2. Go to Mailings, then Start Mail Merge, then Labels.
3. Under Label vendors, choose the brand on your package (for example, Avery US Letter).
4. Under Product number, select the number printed on the package, then click OK. Word fills the page with an empty table, one cell per badge.
5. If your product isn’t listed, click New Label and enter the measurements from the package instead.

For reference, Avery’s own template listings show these common badge sizes. Always match your package rather than this table.

Avery product	Badge size	Per sheet
5395 or 8395 (adhesive)	2-1/3 x 3-3/8 in	8
5390 (inserts for holders)	2-1/4 x 3-1/2 in	8
5392	3 x 4 in	6

Connect the Excel List

1. On the Mailings tab, choose Select Recipients, then Use an Existing List.
2. Browse to your workbook and click Open.
3. Pick the sheet that holds the names (usually the first one), make sure the option saying the first row has column headers is checked, and click OK.
4. To leave anyone out or change the order, choose Edit Recipient List, clear the check boxes beside those people, or sort the list.

Once the list is connected, Word usually adds a Next Record field to every badge after the first. Leave those in place; they tell Word to move to the next person.

Design One Badge, Then Copy It to All

You only lay out the first badge (top-left cell). Word copies it to the rest.

1. Click in the first badge and choose Insert Merge Field, then First_Name (Word may replace spaces in your headers with underscores).
2. Press Enter and insert Last_Name, then press Enter again and insert Company.
3. Select each line and set its look on the Home tab. A good start is about 24 pt bold for the first name and 12 to 14 pt for the other lines, centered. Adjust once you see it at badge size.
4. To add a logo, click where it should go on the first badge and choose Insert, then Pictures. Keep it small and use a high-resolution file so it prints cleanly.
5. Choose Mailings, then Update Labels. The layout copies to every badge on the sheet. Microsoft’s print labels for your mailing list page shows this step. Run Update Labels again after any change to the first badge.

Skip Address Block for badges. It’s built for mailing addresses, while separate fields let you style each line.

Preview and Finish the Merge

1. Choose Preview Results to see real names in place of the field codes, and use the arrows to step through people.
2. Choose Finish & Merge. Edit Individual Documents builds a new document with every badge filled in; Microsoft’s merge to new document page explains the All, Current record and range choices. Print Documents sends it straight to the printer.
3. The new document is the place to tweak a single badge, such as shrinking one very long name, before printing.
4. Save the original merge document if the event repeats. When you reopen it, Word asks whether to keep the connection to the data source; choose Yes.

Print a Test Sheet First

Badge sheets cost far more than paper, so check alignment before using them.

1. Print one page on plain paper.
2. Hold it against a badge sheet in front of a light. Each name should sit inside a badge outline.
3. If everything is shifted or shrunk, look for scaling options such as fit to page in the print dialog and set printing to actual size.
4. Check which way your printer feeds sheets, load one badge sheet, and print a single page before the full run.

Fix Common Problems

• Only the first badge has names. Run Update Labels, then Preview Results again.
• Badges show field names instead of people. Preview Results is off; turn it on, or finish the merge.
• Badge IDs lost their leading zeros. Format that column as Text in Excel, retype the IDs, save, and reconnect the list.
• A long name runs onto two lines. Shrink the font on that badge in the merged document, or reduce the first-name size for everyone.
• Names drift lower on each row of badges. Scaling or the wrong product number is the usual cause; recheck both and print another plain-paper test.

Other Ways to Make Name Tags

Avery templates. For a handful of badges, Avery offers Word templates for each product number and a free online tool, Avery Design & Print. Avery notes that a downloaded template may open in Protected View, so click Enable Editing, then type each name.

Excel alone. You can size cells to badge dimensions and print straight from Excel onto cardstock you cut by hand. Lining that up with adhesive sheets takes a lot of trial and error, so mail merge is the better choice for label sheets.

If you’re also sending letters or certificates from the same list, the steps to merge Excel data into Word documents follow the same idea. For one-off labels without a list, see how to print labels from Word.

Name Tag Questions

Can I make different badges for speakers and guests?

Yes. Add a Role column to the list, then run the merge once per group, using Edit Recipient List to filter to that role each time. Printing each group on a different color of badge stock makes roles easy to spot.

Can I use a list from Google Sheets?

Download it as an Excel file from the Google Sheets File menu, save it on your computer, and connect that file in Word. If your list came as a .csv file, open it in Excel and save it as an .xlsx workbook first so text and leading zeros behave predictably.

Can I put a QR code or barcode on each badge?

Yes, with a field code. Word’s MergeBarcode field turns a merge field, such as Badge ID, into a barcode or QR code on each badge; Microsoft lists the syntax and code types on its MergeBarcode field page (Word for Microsoft 365, 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016). If field codes feel like too much, create the codes separately; this overview of making barcodes for free covers the options.

Does this work in Word for Mac?

Microsoft’s mail merge pages list Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac, and the Mailings tab has the same main steps (Start Mail Merge, Select Recipients, Insert Merge Field, Preview Results). Some dialogs and button names look different, so take a moment to find each option.

What if I don’t have badge sheets?

Print on cardstock and cut the badges out, or use plain paper inserts in plastic badge holders. Set up the merge with an insert product number so the layout matches the holders.

With the test sheet lined up, print the full run, and keep the saved merge document for the next event so you only need to update the Excel list.