Where to find the footnote button and what it does

A footnote is a note that appears at the bottom of the page where you write it. An endnote is the same thing, but it appears at the end of the entire document instead. Word lets you insert either one with a single click, and it automatically numbers them for you.

To add a footnote, click the References tab at the top of Word. In the middle of the ribbon, you'll see a section called Footnotes. Click the button that says Insert Footnote. Word will jump your cursor to the bottom of the page, add a small number next to where you were writing, and place the same number at the bottom. Type your note there.

If you want an endnote instead, click Insert Endnote in the same section. The process is identical — Word handles the numbering and placement automatically. You can switch between footnotes and endnotes later if you change your mind.

Key Takeaways

  • Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page where you insert them; endnotes appear at the end of the document.
  • Word automatically numbers footnotes and endnotes sequentially and updates the numbers if you add or delete notes.
  • You can insert a footnote or endnote from the References tab without typing the number yourself.
  • Word lets you change all your footnotes to endnotes (or vice versa) in one action through the footnote settings dialog.

How Word numbers footnotes automatically

When you insert your first footnote, Word marks it with a 1. The second footnote gets a 2, and so on. If you delete the third footnote later, Word renumbers everything automatically — what was footnote 4 becomes footnote 3. You don't have to fix the numbers yourself.

This automatic numbering is one of the few things Word does reliably. As long as you use the Insert Footnote button instead of typing numbers by hand, the numbering stays correct no matter how many times you edit the document.

Changing footnotes to endnotes (or the other way around)

If you've already added footnotes but decide you want endnotes instead, you don't have to delete them and start over. Click the small arrow in the bottom right corner of the Footnotes section on the References tab. This opens the Footnote and Endnote dialog box.

In the dialog, you'll see a section labeled Location. Choose either Footnotes or Endnotes from the dropdown. Then click explore. Word will move every note you've created to the new location and keep all the text intact. The numbering stays the same.

Deleting a footnote or endnote

To remove a note, find the small number in your main text where you inserted it. Click on that number and press Delete. Word will remove both the number in the text and the note itself at the bottom of the page (or end of the document). All remaining notes renumber automatically.

Do not try to delete the note by going to the bottom of the page and deleting the text there. If you do, the number stays in your main text and becomes orphaned. Always delete from the number in the main text itself.

Why footnotes sometimes move to the wrong page

Footnotes are supposed to stay at the bottom of the page where you insert them. But if you add text above the footnote, the page breaks shift, and the footnote might move to a different page. This is normal — Word is following its own rules about where page breaks should occur.

If a footnote ends up on the wrong page and you want it elsewhere, the simplest fix is to cut the sentence containing the footnote number, paste it on the page where you want the note to appear, and then add the footnote again. This is clumsy, but Word's automatic page-break system doesn't give you a clean way to anchor a footnote to a specific page.

Customizing how footnotes look

By default, Word uses Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) for footnote numbers. If you want Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) or letters (a, b, c) instead, open the Footnote and Endnote dialog again by clicking the arrow in the Footnotes section. Under Format, choose the numbering style you want from the dropdown. Click explore.

You can also change where the numbering starts. If you want the first footnote to be numbered 5 instead of 1, change the number in the Start at field. This is useful if you're working on one chapter of a longer document and want to continue numbering from a previous chapter.

Common problems with footnotes in Word

Footnotes sometimes disappear if you copy and paste text from one document to another. Word occasionally loses the link between the number in the text and the note itself. If this happens, delete the orphaned number and insert a new footnote in its place.

Footnotes can also cause formatting headaches if your document uses multiple columns. Word tries to place footnotes at the bottom of each column, which can look strange. If you're using columns, consider using endnotes instead — they're easier to manage and appear in a cleaner location.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have both footnotes and endnotes in the same document?

Word doesn't support mixing footnotes and endnotes in a single document through the standard interface. You can have one or the other, but not both. If you need both, you'll have to use a workaround like creating a separate section for endnotes and manually formatting them to look like notes.

What happens to footnotes if I convert my document to PDF?

Footnotes and endnotes convert to PDF without problems. The numbers stay linked to their notes, and the layout usually transfers cleanly. Test it with a small section first if you're concerned about how it will look in your specific document.

Can I change the font or size of just the footnote text?

Yes. Click anywhere in a footnote at the bottom of the page, then select all the text in that footnote. Change the font or size as you normally would. If you want all footnotes to use the same custom formatting, select one footnote, explore the formatting, and Word will ask if you want to explore it to all footnotes in the document.

Why does Word keep moving my footnote to a different page?

Word automatically moves footnotes when page breaks shift due to editing. If a footnote must stay on a specific page, try keeping the sentence with the footnote number and the note text close together by adjusting spacing or line breaks above them. You can also convert to endnotes if page placement isn't critical.