Making Endnotes Part of the Footnotes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 18, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Rhonda received a document that includes both footnotes and endnotes. She needs to change the document so that it includes only footnotes. The endnotes should not be deleted, but simply become part of the footnotes. She wonders if there is a way to do this easily in the document.

The short answer is yes, there is an easy way. Follow these steps:

  1. Display the References tab of the ribbon.
  2. Click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Footnotes group. Word displays the Footnote and Endnote dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Footnote and Endnote dialog box.

  4. Click the Convert button. Word displays the Convert Notes dialog box. (See Figure 2.)
  5. Figure 2. The Convert Notes dialog box.

  6. Make sure the Convert All Endnotes to Footnotes radio button is selected.
  7. Click OK to close the Convert Notes dialog box. (This is when the actual conversion occurs.)
  8. Click Cancel to close the Footnote and Endnote dialog box.

In the process of converting all your endnotes, Word renumbers all the footnotes properly to reflect the newly modified endnotes. As you can deduce from step 4, these steps assume that you want to change all your endnotes to footnotes. If you want to change only some of the endnotes to footnotes, then check out this WordTip:

https://tips.net/T11199

If you have Track Changes turned on in your document, understand that you may get some funky results on the conversion. Word renumbers everything, but it may appear that the numbering in the footnotes is messed up. It isn't, but you won't see the correct numbering until you resolve the changes that were tracked when you did the conversion.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5909) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Correctly Repeated Words

There are times when you need to repeat a word in a document, but doing so triggers an "error reaction" from Word's ...

Discover More

Inserting and Deleting Rows in a Protected Worksheet

You've protected and saved your worksheet with explicit instructions that you be allowed to insert and delete rows. But ...

Discover More

Automatically Updating Styles

When you add formatting to some text in your document, Word may apply your formatting to every other part of your ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Returning to Your Document after Adding an Endnote

Endnotes are a required element in some types of writing. When you add an endnote, Word moves you to the end of your ...

Discover More

Where Do You Want Your Endnotes?

Endnotes can be placed in a couple of different places in your document, not just at the very end. Here's how you can ...

Discover More

Multiple References to an Endnote

Adding endnotes in a document is easy in Word. If you want to create multiple references to a single endnote, you can do ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is one more than 9?

2025-01-20 14:08:45

William

In my version of Word, once you convert the notes the Cancel button in the Footnote and Endnote dialog changes to Close (step 6 above).


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.