Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Inserting Footnotes.

Inserting Footnotes

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated May 9, 2015)

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Footnotes are used to provide printed annotations or references for a document. If you want to insert a footnote in your document, follow these steps:

  1. Position the insertion point where you want the footnote mark to be located.
  2. Display the References tab of the ribbon.
  3. Click the Insert Footnote tool, in the Footnotes group.
  4. A footnote mark appears in your document and the insertion point moves to the bottom of the page where the footnote will appear.
  5. Enter your footnote, formatting it as you would any other text in your document.
  6. Click somewhere in your main document when you are done typing your footnote.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (750) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Inserting Footnotes.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He  is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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Comments

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What is 8 + 3?

2015-05-12 20:27:54

David B

Or you can press CTRL + ALT + F to insert a footnote or CTRL + ALT + D to insert an endnote.

2015-05-11 09:27:35

Jennifer Thomas

Sorry, Stanley - your only options for numbering ENDNOTES are 'Continuous' or 'Restart at each section'. If you use FOOTNOTES, however, you have the additional option of 'Restart each page', so consider using that method instead. FYI, to get to those options, click the dialog launcher in the Footnotes group.

2015-05-09 08:56:24

Stanley Knill

I would like to be able to start endnotes numbering on each page of a document (book)rather than each section (chapter). Is there a way rather than starting each page as a section?

2015-05-09 04:54:22

sarma

Frequent users of footnotes will find it convenient to drag the "Insert footnote" onto the Quick Access Toolbar.

Right click ribbon, Click "Customize Quick Access Toolbar", click Down arrow of the "Choose commands from" box, select "References Tab"; select the "Insert footnote" and "Add" it to the ribbon. It'll be very easy from then on.

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