How to FedEx Create a Label: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

• 10 min read

Shipping labels are the passports for your packages, guiding them from your doorstep to their final destination. You can FedEx create a label directly on the FedEx website, by using the FedEx® Mobile app on your phone, or by visiting a FedEx location in person. Whether you’re sending a one time gift, running an e-commerce store, or shipping heavy freight, there’s a straightforward method for you.

This guide walks you through every option, from creating a label on your phone without a printer to managing bulk shipments for your business.

Getting Started: What You Need to Create a FedEx Label

Before you can get your package on its way, you’ll need a few key pieces of information. Having these ready will make the process smooth and help you avoid any unexpected costs.

  • Package Details: You must have the recipient’s full address, your return address, and the package’s weight and dimensions. Accuracy here is crucial because these factors determine the shipping cost. If you’re unsure how to estimate weight, dimensions, or dimensional weight, see our guide on how to calculate shipping costs.
  • Payment Method: You’ll need a way to pay for the postage. This can be a credit or debit card if you’re shipping as a guest, or you can link a payment method to a FedEx account.
  • A Label Solution: You need a way to either print the label or get a digital version (like a QR code) that can be scanned at a FedEx location.
  • A Supported Device: A modern smartphone, tablet, or computer with a stable internet connection and a PDF reader is all you need to get started on the FedEx website or mobile app.

The Easiest Way: How to FedEx Create a Label Online

Creating your shipping label online is the most popular method for a reason, it’s convenient and often cheaper. Carriers provide significant shipping discounts for online label creation compared to the retail rates you’d pay at the counter. For small businesses, where 43% cite high operating expenses like shipping as a top challenge, these online savings are a major benefit.

The process is simple. You visit the carrier’s website, enter the shipment details you gathered, choose a shipping service (like FedEx Ground® or FedEx 2Day®), and pay with your card. The website then generates a label for you to print.

Before you commit, it’s always a smart move to see how prices stack up. Using a free tool to compare shipping rates from USPS, UPS, and FedEx can help you find the cheapest or fastest service for your specific package.

Shipping Without a Commitment: Create a Label as a Guest

What if you don’t ship often and don’t want to create an account? No problem. FedEx offers a guest shipping option that lets you FedEx create a label without signing up. With FedEx® Guest Shipping, you can easily create labels for single package shipments just by using your credit card.

This is perfect for infrequent shippers, but there are a few limitations. Guest shipping typically cannot be used for multi piece shipments or packages containing hazardous materials or alcohol. For more complex shipping needs, creating a free account is the way to go.

Don’t Have a Printer? No Problem

One of the biggest hurdles for many people is not having a printer. Luckily, there are several simple workarounds so you can still FedEx create a label and get your package shipped.

Using a Mobile App and QR Code

The FedEx® Mobile app is a powerful tool that lets you manage shipments from your phone. You can enter all your package details in the app, and instead of a printable PDF, it can generate a QR code. Simply take your package to a participating FedEx location, show them the QR code on your phone, and a team member will print the label for you on the spot, free of charge.

This printer free method is becoming incredibly popular. Awareness of “no label” return options, which use QR codes, rose to 48% among consumers in 2025.

Printing Your Label at Home vs. at a FedEx Office

If you do have a printer, printing at home is the most direct option. If you’re outfitting your setup, see our picks for the best shipping label printers. You can print the label PDF on regular paper, cut it out, and tape it securely to your package.

If you don’t have a printer, you can visit a FedEx Office location. You have a couple of options there:

  • Log into your email on a self service computer to access and print the label PDF.
  • Use the FedEx “Print & Go” service by forwarding your label to printandgo@fedex.com. They will email you a retrieval code to enter at a self service printer in the store.

Keep in mind that printing at a FedEx Office location involves a small fee per page.

Emailing a Shipping Label to Yourself or Someone Else

Most shipping platforms, including FedEx Ship Manager, allow you to email the label after you create it. This is useful in several scenarios:

  • You created the label at work and want to email it to your personal address to print at home.
  • You don’t have a printer, so you email the label to a friend or family member who can print it for you.
  • You are sending a prepaid return label to a customer.

For Businesses and E-commerce Sellers

When your shipping volume grows, efficiency becomes key. FedEx and other platforms offer powerful tools to help businesses streamline how they FedEx create a label.

Using FedEx Ship Manager for More Control

FedEx Ship Manager is the all in one shipping dashboard for account holders. It’s designed to make creating and managing shipments faster and easier. Using it allows you to get shipping discounts, store addresses for quick recall, and even create multiple labels at once. It’s a significant step up from guest shipping and is essential for anyone who ships regularly.

Streamlining Your Workflow with Bulk Label Creation

For online sellers fulfilling dozens or hundreds of orders, creating labels one by one isn’t practical. Bulk shipping label creation allows you to generate many labels in a single batch. You can typically upload a CSV file with your order data, and the software will process all the labels simultaneously. This drastically reduces manual processing time and minimizes errors. For very high volume shippers, FedEx even offers a service where they will print and deliver batches of labels directly to your distribution center.

Connecting Your E-commerce Store for Automated Label Creation

The ultimate time saver is connecting your e-commerce store (like Shopify, Etsy, or eBay) directly to a shipping software. If you’re building your workflow, learn how shipping APIs connect stores and carriers to automate label creation. This integration automatically imports your order details, so you don’t have to copy and paste addresses. You can view all your orders in one place, apply shipping rules, and print all your labels in one click. This level of automation can cut fulfillment time by more than half and ensures accuracy by pulling data directly from the source.

Managing Returns: How to Create a Return Shipping Label

A smooth returns process is vital for customer satisfaction. A prepaid return label is a label you provide to a customer so they can send a product back without paying for postage upfront. A positive return experience can significantly influence buying decisions, with nearly 66% of shoppers saying a retailer’s return policy impacts their choice to make a purchase. You can email these labels to customers or include them in the original package. If you don’t have one yet, here’s how to create a return policy that sets expectations and reduces support tickets.

For sellers, finding the most cost effective return service is important. You can easily find the best option by using a tool that lets you compare shipping rates online.

Shipping Large and International Items

The process to FedEx create a label changes slightly when you’re dealing with international destinations or very large shipments. These require specific documentation to ensure they clear customs and are handled correctly. For a step-by-step overview, see our guide on how to ship internationally.

Creating an International Air Waybill (AWB)

When you ship a package internationally by air, the label you create is also known as an International Air Waybill (AWB). This document serves as a contract between you and the carrier and contains extra information needed for customs, such as a description of the contents and their value. The tracking number on your FedEx International label is the AWB number, which allows the package to be tracked across borders.

The Old School Method: The Manual Air Waybill

Before digital shipping was the norm, shippers filled out a manual air waybill, which is a multi part carbon copy form. While these paper forms are still available at FedEx locations, online label creation is strongly recommended. Digital labels are more accurate, which significantly decreases the chance of invoice errors or delivery confusion.

Labels for Heavy Shipments: Air Freight and LTL Freight

  • Air Freight: This service is for shipping large and heavy items via airplane. The air freight shipping label works with an Air Waybill and may be supplemented with special handling labels, like “Heavy” or “This Side Up”. Each piece of the shipment should be clearly labeled to prevent parts from being separated.
  • LTL Freight: “Less Than Truckload” (LTL freight) is for shipping items on pallets that don’t require a full truck. Instead of a simple label, LTL shipments are governed by a Bill of Lading (BOL), which is the contract between the shipper and the freight carrier. Today, most shippers use an Electronic Bill of Lading (eBOL), which is submitted digitally. This practice reduces errors and can lead to an average cost savings of 2 to 4% per shipment. Each pallet will still get a physical label with a barcode (a PRO number) for tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions about How to FedEx Create a Label

1. Can I FedEx create a label without knowing the exact weight?
No, an accurate weight and dimensions are required to calculate the correct postage and create a valid shipping label. Guessing can lead to adjustments and extra charges from the carrier.

2. How long is a FedEx shipping label valid?
Generally, a FedEx label does not have a strict expiration date, but it is best practice to use it within a short period. If you wait too long, the rates or services associated with the label may have changed.

3. What happens if I make a mistake on a FedEx label?
If you have not yet used the label to ship a package, you can usually void it through your FedEx account or the platform you used to create it. You can then FedEx create a label again with the correct information.

4. Can I handwrite a FedEx label?
While you can fill out a manual paper Air Waybill at a FedEx location, it is not recommended. Creating a label online is faster, more accurate, and gives you access to better shipping rates.

5. Do I have to pay to create a FedEx label online?
The act of generating the label file itself is free. However, you must pay for the postage or shipping service that the label represents.

Whether you’re shipping your first package or your thousandth, the tools are available to make it simple. To make sure you’re always getting the best price before you ship, take a moment to compare carrier rates with a free online calculator.