Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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: Changing the Way Endnotes Are Numbered.

Changing the Way Endnotes Are Numbered

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 23, 2025)

Word allows you to control how the endnotes in your document are numbered. Normally, numbering begins at one and progresses upward. You can change both the starting number and how numbering restarts by following these steps:

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

Figure 1. The Footnote and Endnote dialog box.

Make sure the Endnotes radio button is selected.
Change the Start At value to reflect where you want Word to start numbering.
Change the selection in the Numbering area to reflect how you want Word to count your endnotes.
Click on Apply, then click on Cancel; otherwise click on Insert to insert an endnote mark at the current location.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6064) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Changing the Way Endnotes Are Numbered.

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. Learn more about Allen...

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