Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Formatting Footnotes and Endnotes.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 26, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
You can format footnotes and endnotes in the same manner in which you format regular text. If you have a large number of notes in your text, however, it could get tedious to manually format every one. Instead, consider changing the styles that Word automatically applies to footnotes and endnotes.
When you add your first footnote to a document, Word automatically creates a style called Footnote Text. Similarly, the addition of your first endnote creates the Endnote Text style. These two text styles will be listed in the Styles pane if you choose to show All Styles. (If you are using Word 2010 or a later version, display the Home tab of the ribbon, click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Styles group to open the Styles pane, and click on Options at the bottom of the Styles pane. Then choose All Styles in the Select Styles To Show drop-down list.) Change these styles according to your needs, and your footnotes and endnotes will look great.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6088) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Formatting Footnotes and Endnotes.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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:
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