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A common example is a sheet of address labels: the first label uses the first recipient, and each later label starts with Next Record to advance to the next recipient. The command is available in current Word versions, including Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016 for Windows and Mac.
What “Next Record” does in Word
A mail-merge data source normally has one record per row. For example, an Excel sheet might contain these columns:
| FirstName | Company | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Ana | Northwind | 10 Main Street |
| Ben | Fabrikam | 25 Oak Avenue |
Without a Next Record field, Word generally creates one merged letter or page for each row. With the rule between two blocks on the same page, Word finishes the current record and begins the next block using the next row.
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A simple arrangement looks like this:
«Company»
«Next Record»«Company»
«Next Record»«Company»
The first block does not begin with Next Record. The first block uses the current record; subsequent blocks begin by advancing to the next record.
Insert Next Record from the Word ribbon
- Open the main mail-merge document.
- Go to Mailings > Select Recipients and connect the Excel workbook, Outlook contacts, or another data source.
- Place the cursor where the next data record should begin.
- Choose Mailings > Rules > Next Record.
- Immediately afterward, choose Mailings > Insert Merge Field and insert the fields belonging to that next record.
The important placement rule is that Next Record belongs at the start of the second and later data blocks. Do not insert it before the first field in the first block, or Word advances past the first row and the output may begin with the second record.
Using Next Record for address labels
For labels, use Word’s label-merge workflow rather than manually building a page of unrelated text boxes.
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- Open Word and select Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Labels.
- In Label Options, select the label vendor and product number that match the physical label sheet.
- Connect the data source through Mailings > Select Recipients.
- Build the first label using Mailings > Insert Merge Field. For example, add the name, company, address, city, and postal-code fields on separate lines.
- Select Mailings > Update Labels.
Word lays the label sheet out as a table. Update Labels copies the first label’s design to the remaining cells and adds the Next Record rule so each cell receives the following data row.
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The resulting structure is conceptually similar to this:
| Label 1 | Label 2 |
|---|---|
| «Name» «Address» |
«Next Record»«Name» «Address» |
Do not manually add Next Record to the first label. If the first label starts with that rule, the first recipient can be skipped.
Using it in a Word table
A table can represent several records on one page—for example, three attendee cards or several product rows. Put Next Record only in the first cell of the second and later rows.
For example:
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| «Product» | «Quantity» | «Price» |
| «Next Record»«Product» | «Quantity» | «Price» |
Word advances to the next data record, not to the next column. The columns are fields from the same record. Adding Next Record before every field or every column causes Word to skip through multiple data rows within one displayed row.
Next Record versus Preview’s Next button
These are different features:
- Mailings > Rules > Next Record inserts a field into the document. It changes which data row is used in the next block.
- Mailings > Preview Results, followed by the Next or Previous navigation controls, only changes the record being inspected in the preview.
Clicking the preview’s Next button does not add a Next Record field to the document.
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When not to use Next Record
Normal letters
A standard Letters merge is designed to produce one merged document or page per record. You do not need Next Record just because two pages are printed on one physical sheet through printer or page-layout settings. Word still treats those as separate pages.
Conditional record changes
If the next record should be used only when a condition is true, choose Mailings > Rules > Next Record If instead. Its dialog includes Field name, Comparison, and Compare to. This is useful for conditional grouping, although sorting the source first is recommended when grouping by a field such as Country/Region.
Fix “Next Record” errors and skipped records
The first recipient is missing
Inspect the first label or first data block. Remove Next Record if it appears before the first merge field. Keep the rule only at the beginning of the second and subsequent blocks.
Records are being skipped
Check whether the rule appears more than once per label or table row. One displayed block should normally advance once. In a table, place the rule in the first cell of the new row—not before each column.
The Rules command is disabled
Connect a data source first using Mailings > Select Recipients. Word requires connected recipients before merge fields and merge rules become available.
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The rule cannot be inserted into a postcard layout
Positioned text boxes are a common cause of insertion failures. Replace the text boxes with table cells, or rebuild the document as a label merge. A text box may produce an error when Next Record is inserted, and its contents can disappear when the merge is previewed.
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Word also rejects DATA, NEXT, NEXTIF, and SKIPIF fields in comments, headers, footers, footnotes, and endnotes. Put the fields in the main document body instead.
The field appears as text
Insert the rule from Mailings > Rules rather than typing the angle brackets yourself. To inspect field codes, press Alt+F9 on Windows. The displayed command name in the ribbon is Next Record, while the underlying Word field is commonly called NEXT.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Insert the field with VBA
For an automated document, Word VBA exposes the operation through the MailMergeFields.AddNext method. Its syntax is:
expression.AddNext(Range)
The expression must be a MailMergeFields collection, and Range specifies where the field is inserted. Microsoft’s example inserts the field after the third merge field:
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- Handwrite on labels for quick and easy personalization, or print clear text and crisp graphics with label paper optimized for laser printers to help prevent smearing or smudging
- Create personalized address labels using Avery Design & Print Online, which offers templates, designs, and easy-to-use tools for creating professional-quality labels
- Versatile rectangle labels stick securely to most smooth surfaces, including cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, tin, and metal, making them perfect for mailing and shipping, product labels, organization, and more
Documents(“Main.doc”).MailMerge.Fields(3).Select
Selection.Collapse Direction:=wdCollapseEnd
Documents(“Main.doc”).MailMerge.Fields.AddNext _
Range:=Selection.Range
In VBA documentation, this is referred to as a NEXT field. That is the same mail-merge function exposed in the ribbon as Next Record.
Test the merge before printing
- Use Mailings > Preview Results.
- Check the first label or first block: it should show the first source row.
- Move to the next preview record and confirm that the following label or block shows the next source row.
- Use Finish & Merge > Edit Individual Documents and select all records for a final inspection.
- Print one test page on plain paper and place it over the label sheet to verify alignment before printing the full batch.
FAQ
Where is Next Record in current Word?
Select the insertion point, then use Mailings > Rules > Next Record. Microsoft lists this path for Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016 on Windows and Mac.
Should Next Record go in the first label?
No. The first label uses the current record. Put Next Record before the first merge field in the second and later labels, normally by building the first label and selecting Update Labels.
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Does Next Record move to the next column?
No. It advances to the next data row. Columns in a Word table normally contain different fields from the same record.
Why does Word skip the first record?
The first label or data block probably begins with Next Record. Remove that field from the first block and leave it at the beginning of later blocks only.
Can I use Next Record in a header, footer, or text box?
These locations can fail. Word rejects certain merge fields in headers, footers, comments, footnotes, and endnotes, and text boxes can disappear during preview. Use table cells in the main document body instead.
The Bottom Line
Use Mailings > Rules > Next Record at the beginning of every data block after the first one. For labels, build the first label and select Update Labels; Word creates the table layout and advances each label to the next source row. Keep the rule out of the first block, do not use it once per column, and use table cells instead of positioned text boxes for multi-record custom layouts.
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