Delete a single footnote by removing the anchor

A footnote in Word is a note at the bottom of the page tied to a specific word or phrase. To delete one, find the small number or symbol in your document text where the footnote starts — this is called the anchor. Click right before or after that anchor and press Delete or Backspace. The footnote and its number disappear when ready, and Word renumbers any remaining footnotes automatically.

You do not need to go to the bottom of the page to delete the note itself. Removing the anchor in the main text removes the entire footnote. If you delete text that contains a footnote anchor, the footnote goes with it.

If you cannot see the anchors clearly, turn on formatting marks. Go to the Home tab, click the pilcrow symbol (¶) in the toolbar, and footnote anchors will appear as small superscript numbers or symbols in your text. This makes them easier to spot and select.

Key Takeaways

  • Delete a footnote by finding its anchor (the small number in your text) and pressing Delete or Backspace — do not delete from the bottom of the page.
  • Word automatically renumbers remaining footnotes after you delete one, so you do not have to fix the numbering yourself.
  • Turn on formatting marks (Home tab, pilcrow symbol) to see footnote anchors clearly if they are hard to spot.
  • Endnotes work the same way as footnotes — remove the anchor in the text to delete the entire note.
  • If you delete a section of text that contains footnotes, all footnotes in that section are removed along with it.

Delete multiple footnotes at once by selecting text

If you have several footnotes clustered in one section and want to remove them all, select the text that contains them. Highlight from the beginning of the first footnote anchor to the end of the last one, then press Delete. All footnotes within that selection disappear, and the remaining footnotes renumber automatically.

This is faster than deleting footnotes one at a time if you are removing a whole paragraph or section that no longer needs citations or notes. Be careful to select only the text you want gone — selecting too much will delete content you meant to keep.

The difference between footnotes and endnotes

Word offers two types of notes: footnotes appear at the bottom of the page where they are referenced, and endnotes appear at the end of the document. Both work the same way when you delete them — find the anchor in the text and press Delete. The note disappears from wherever it was placed (bottom of page or end of document), and numbering adjusts automatically.

If you have both footnotes and endnotes in the same document, they maintain separate numbering sequences. Deleting a footnote does not affect endnote numbers, and vice versa. You can convert one type to the other through the References tab, but deletion works identically for both.

Delete all footnotes and endnotes at once

To remove every footnote and endnote in your document in one step, use Find and Replace. Press Ctrl+H (or Cmd+H on Mac) to open Find and Replace. In the Find field, type ^f to find all footnotes, or ^e to find all endnotes. Leave the Replace field empty and click Replace All. Every footnote or endnote of that type vanishes.

This method is useful if you are converting a document from one format to another or removing all citations at once. If you want to keep some notes and delete others, delete them individually instead — using Find and Replace removes all instances with no way to choose which ones to keep.

After using Find and Replace, Word renumbers any remaining notes of the other type. If you deleted all footnotes but kept endnotes, the endnotes stay numbered as they were.

Recover deleted footnotes if you made a mistake

If you delete a footnote and realize you need it back, press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) when ready to undo. This restores the footnote and its text exactly as it was. You can undo multiple times to go back several steps if you deleted multiple notes.

Once you save and close the document, undo is no longer available. Word does not keep a recovery history after you exit. If you deleted important notes and saved the file, you would need to restore from a backup or earlier version if your system has one enabled.

Why footnotes might not delete the way you expect

If you try to delete a footnote by selecting and deleting the note text at the bottom of the page, nothing happens — the note reappears when you click elsewhere. This is because the note is tied to the anchor in the main text. You must delete the anchor, not the note itself, for the deletion to stick.

If a footnote anchor seems stuck or will not delete, the document may be in a protected or read-only state. Check the title bar to see if it says "Read-Only" or look in the Review tab for protection settings. If the document is protected, you may need a password to unprotect it before you can edit or delete notes.

Some templates or styles lock certain elements to prevent accidental changes. If you cannot delete a footnote even after trying the anchor method, check whether the document or section is locked through the Format menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a footnote without deleting the text it is attached to?

Yes. Select only the footnote anchor (the small number in your text), not the surrounding words, and press Delete. The note disappears but the text stays. If you want to keep the text and remove the note, this is the way to do it.

What happens to the numbering when I delete a footnote in the middle of my document?

Word automatically renumbers all footnotes after the one you deleted. If you had footnotes numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 and you delete footnote 2, the remaining notes become 1, 2, 3. You do not have to fix the numbers yourself.

Can I delete just the text of a footnote without deleting the anchor?

No. The anchor and the note are linked — deleting one deletes both. If you want to keep the anchor but change what the note says, edit the note text at the bottom of the page instead of deleting it.

How do I delete footnotes from just one page or section?

Select all the text on that page or in that section, then press Delete. All footnotes within your selection are removed. Alternatively, delete the anchors one at a time by clicking each one and pressing Delete.

Is there a way to delete footnotes but keep endnotes?

Yes. Use Find and Replace (Ctrl+H), type ^f in the Find field to target only footnotes, leave Replace empty, and click Replace All. Endnotes remain untouched. If you want the opposite, use ^e instead.