How do I create mailing labels with a different contact in outlook

Hi @Don Schulte, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum.  

Based on your description, you’re trying to create mailing labels from a non‑default Outlook Contacts folder named XMAS in Classic Outlook, but the Mail Merge Wizard only lists the default Contacts folder and doesn’t allow selecting XMAS. We truly understand this scenario and appreciate the time you’ve invested attempting different paths.  
Word’s Mail Merge “From Outlook Contacts” picker reads the default Contacts address book and, by design, may not enumerate other Contacts subfolders unless they’re exposed as an Outlook Address Book. The most reliable way to target a specific folder is to start the mail merge from Outlook while you are inside that folder, rather than starting in Word. If the XMAS folder isn’t recognized as an address book, Word will only show Contacts. 

Below are some workarounds that suit for your situation: 
Option 1: Begin by accessing the XMAS folder in Outlook to start the merge process efficiently. 

• Open Outlook and switch to People. 
• In the left pane, select the XMAS contacts folder and press Ctrl+A to select all contacts (or select just the ones you need). 
• On the Home tab, choose Mail Merge. 
• In the Mail Merge dialog: choose Only selected contacts, Contact fields, Document type: Labels, Merge to: New document, then select OK. 
• Word opens. Pick your Label vendor and Product number, insert Address Block, then Finish & Merge to print.  
• For your reference: Print labels for your mailing list - Microsoft Support 

Option 2: Then, make the XMAS folder available in Word under “Choose from Outlook Contacts.” 

• In Outlook, right‑click the XMAS folder and select Properties. 
• On the Outlook Address Book tab, check Show this folder as an email Address Book, give it a name, and select OK. 
• In Word, go to Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Labels, then Select Recipients > Choose from Outlook Contacts, and pick the XMAS address book.  
• For your reference: How to perform a mail merge with an Outlook Contacts list in Word - Microsoft Support 

Option 3: Next, proceed with the alternate approach if folder selection remains restricted by the wizard. 

• Export contacts from XMAS to CSV from Outlook. 
• In Word, use Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Labels, then Select Recipients > Use an Existing List, and browse to the CSV. 

As community moderators, we appreciate your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If you have any updates regarding the issue, please feel free to share them with me.   

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.   

I look forward to continuing the conversation.   

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