WD: Address in Envelopes and Labels Is Blank or Includes Date/Text

When your letter or document contains an address and you click Envelopes And Labels on the Tools menu, the proposed address on the Envelope or Label tab may either be blank or it may include a date or other text.

NOTE: In Word 6.x, this problem occurs only with the Labels tab (the Envelope tab contains the correct address).

Word will not propose the correct address in the Envelopes or Labels tab for the following reasons.

Case 1: The Address Line Is Blank

This problem may occur for the following reasons:

• The address lines (paragraphs) include a field such as a Date or Time field.
  <P>
  Microsoft Corporation<P>
  One Microsoft Way<P>
  Redmond, WA. 98052-6399<tab><tab><tab><tab><tab>{Date}<P> <P>
  -or-
• One or more of the address lines includes multiple spaces.
  <P>
  Microsoft Corporation<P>
  One Microsoft Way<P>
  Redmond, WA. 98052-6399<space><space><space><space><space><P> <P>
  
  NOTE: This problem seems to occur when there are around forty 40 spaces either before or after the address line.
  
  -or-
• The address lines begin with tabs.
  <P>
  <tab>Microsoft Corporation<P>
  <tab>One Microsoft Way<P>
  <tab>Redmond, WA. 98052-6399<P> <P>
  
  
  -or-
• The address lines begin with a large indentation.
  <P>
  < i n d e n t a t i o n >Microsoft Corporation<P>
  < i n d e n t a t i o n >One Microsoft Way<P>
  < i n d e n t a t i o n >Redmond, WA. 98052-6399<P> <P>
  
  
  Indentations greater than 1 inch usually cause this problem. To apply an indentation, do one of the following:
  • Click the Increase Indent button on the Formatting toolbar.
    
    -or-
    
    
  • On the Format menu, click Paragraph and then on the Indents and Spacing tab, set the Indentation Left to the value you want.

Case 2: Word Proposes an Address That Includes Too Much Text

This problem occurs when any of the lines of the address include text that is separated from the address by tabs or if text or the Date field (or any other field) is immediately above or below the address.

This problem may occur when you do any of the following:

• On the last line of the address, you press the TAB key several times and then the date is entered as text.
  <P>
  Microsoft Corporation<P>
  One Microsoft Way<P>
  Redmond, WA 98052-6399<tab><tab><tab><tab>November 10, 1997<P> <P>
  
  
  -or-
• When the Date (or other text) is on a line immediately above or below the address.
  <P>
  Date typed as text (or other text)<P>
  Microsoft Corporation<P>
  One Microsoft Way<P>
  Redmond, WA 98052-6399<P> <P>
  
  
  -or-
  
  
• When the Date (or other field) is on a line immediately above or below the address.
  <P>
  {Date} (or other field)<P>
  Microsoft Corporation<P>
  One Microsoft Way<P>
  Redmond, WA. 98052-6399<P> <P>

NOTE: <P> represents a paragraph mark or blank line.

To work around this problem, do either of the following:

• Remove any fields, spaces, tabs, or indentations from the address lines.
  
  NOTE: Using fewer than 40 spaces, or indentations of 1 inch or less, seems to work fine.
  
  -or-
• Type the date (or other text), or insert the Date field (or other field), either above or below the address lines, separating the text or field from the address lines by a blank line.
  
  NOTE: Do not include any additional text, fields, tabs, spaces, or indentations on the same lines as the address.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Word searches for certain criteria in which to correctly present an address in the Envelopes and Labels dialog box.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: