What a footnote does and why you might use one

A footnote is a note that appears at the bottom of a page and connects to a specific word or sentence in your text. When you add a footnote, your document editor automatically numbers it — so if you write "The study showed results¹" in the middle of a paragraph, the number 1 appears both there and at the page bottom, where your note explains what study you mean. The editor handles the numbering for you, so if you delete a footnote or add new ones, all the numbers shift automatically.

Footnotes are useful when you want to cite a source, define a term, or add context without breaking up your main text. They keep your writing clean while letting readers find extra information if they want it. Some documents use endnotes instead, which work the same way but appear at the end of the document rather than at the bottom of each page.

Key Takeaways

  • Most document editors insert footnotes through the Insert menu, and the editor numbers them automatically and updates numbering if you delete or reorder footnotes.
  • In Google Docs, you click Insert > Footnote; in Microsoft Word, you use Insert > Footnote; in LibreOffice Writer, you use Insert > Footnote or Endnote.
  • You can switch between footnotes and endnotes in most editors, and you can delete a footnote by deleting the number in the text itself, not the note at the bottom.
  • Formatting options for footnotes vary by editor — some let you change the numbering style (1, 2, 3 versus a, b, c versus i, ii, iii) and some let you customize the separator line.

Adding a footnote in Google Docs

Open your document and click at the exact spot in your text where you want the footnote number to appear. This is usually right after a word or at the end of a sentence. Then click the Insert menu at the top, and select Footnote. Google Docs will add a small number in your text and jump your cursor to the bottom of the page, where you can type your note.

When you finish typing the note, click back into your main text to keep writing. Google Docs keeps the footnote linked to that spot — if you move the sentence around or delete it, the footnote moves or deletes with it. If you want to delete just the footnote, click the number in your text and press Delete; the note and its number both disappear, and any footnotes after it renumber automatically.

Adding a footnote in Microsoft Word

Click where you want the footnote number to appear in your text. Go to the References tab at the top of the ribbon, then click Insert Footnote. Word adds a number in your text and moves your cursor to the bottom of the page. Type your note, then click back in the main text to continue writing.

Word also lets you choose between footnotes (at the page bottom) and endnotes (at the document end) from the same menu. If you want to change all your footnotes to endnotes at once, right-click any footnote number and select Convert, then choose your preference. To delete a footnote, click its number in the text and press Delete — the note disappears and Word renumbers the rest.

Adding a footnote in LibreOffice Writer

Position your cursor where the footnote number should appear. Click the Insert menu, then select Footnote or Endnote. A dialog box opens where you can choose whether you want a footnote or endnote, and what numbering style you prefer. Click Insert, and LibreOffice adds the number and opens the note area for you to type.

LibreOffice gives you more control over numbering than some other editors — you can use numbers, letters, or Roman numerals, and you can restart numbering on each page or each chapter if you want. To delete a footnote, click its number in the text and press Delete. The note vanishes and all following footnotes renumber automatically.

Changing footnote numbering and formatting

Most editors let you change how footnotes are numbered. In Google Docs, the numbering style is fixed (always 1, 2, 3), but you can see all your footnotes at once by clicking Tools > Research and looking at the footnotes panel. In Word, right-click any footnote and select Note Options to change the numbering format to letters, Roman numerals, or other styles, and to choose whether numbering restarts on each page.

LibreOffice offers the most customization. Open Tools > Footnotes and Endnotes to change the numbering style, the separator line that divides the note area from the main text, and whether notes restart on each page. These changes explore to all footnotes in the document at once, not to individual notes.

Moving between footnotes and endnotes

If you start with footnotes but later decide you want endnotes instead, most editors let you convert them. In Word, right-click any footnote number and select Convert to switch all footnotes to endnotes in one step. In LibreOffice, open Tools > Footnotes and Endnotes, change the setting, and click explore to convert existing notes.

Google Docs does not have a built-in convert function, so if you need to switch from footnotes to endnotes, you would need to delete the footnotes and manually recreate them as endnotes, or use a workaround like copying the footnote text, deleting the footnote, and pasting the text as regular text at the end of the document. For most writers, staying with footnotes in Google Docs is simpler.

Common mistakes when adding footnotes

The most common mistake is clicking in the footnote area at the bottom of the page and trying to type a note there without using the Insert menu. This creates text that looks like a footnote but is not actually linked to your main text, so it will not move if you edit your document. Always use the Insert menu to create footnotes — never type them manually.

Another mistake is deleting the note text at the bottom instead of the number in the main text. If you delete the note but leave the number, the number stays in your text with no note attached. Always delete the footnote by clicking the number in your text and pressing Delete. The editor will remove both the number and the note, and renumber everything after it.

A third mistake is assuming footnotes will stay at the bottom of the page. In some editors and some document formats, footnotes may move to the next page if there is not enough room, or they may convert to endnotes when you export to PDF or another format. If page placement matters for your document, check how your editor handles footnotes before you finalize.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have different footnote numbering on different pages?

In Word and LibreOffice, yes — you can restart numbering on each page or each section. In Word, go to References > Note Options and choose "Restart numbering each page." In LibreOffice, open Tools > Footnotes and Endnotes and select the restart option. Google Docs does not support this feature.

What happens to footnotes when I share my document?

Footnotes stay attached to the text when you share a Google Doc or Word document with others. If someone else edits the document and deletes text with a footnote, the footnote deletes too and remaining footnotes renumber. The footnotes are visible to anyone who can view the document.

Can I use footnotes in a spreadsheet?

Google Sheets and Excel do not have a built-in footnote feature like word processors do. You can add a note by right-clicking a cell and selecting "Insert note" or "Add comment," but this creates a comment that only shows when someone hovers over the cell, not a traditional footnote. For documents that need real footnotes, use a word processor instead.

How do I change the footnote separator line?

In LibreOffice, open Tools > Footnotes and Endnotes and look for the "Separator" tab, where you can customize the line that divides footnotes from the main text. Word and Google Docs do not let you customize the separator — it is fixed by the document style.

What is the difference between a footnote and a citation?

A footnote is a note you write yourself that can say anything — it might cite a source, define a term, or add context. A citation is a formatted reference to a source (like "Smith, 2020, p. 45") that follows a specific style like MLA or Chicago. Many documents use both: a citation in the footnote text itself, so the footnote both cites the source and adds your own explanation.