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 Using Custom Footnote Marks.

Inserting Footnotes Using Custom Footnote Marks

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated December 15, 2015)

3

Footnotes are used to provide printed annotations or references for a document. Word makes it very easy to insert automatic footnotes in your documents. What if you want to insert a custom footnote, however? Fortunately it is just as easy:

  1. Position the insertion point where you want the custom footnote mark located.
  2. Display the References tab of the ribbon.
  3. Click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Footnotes group. Word displays the Footnote and Endnote dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    4. Figure 1. The Footnote and Endnote dialog box.

  4. In the Custom Mark box, enter the character (or characters) you want used for the custom footnote mark. If you want a special symbol in the footnote mark, click on Symbol and select the one you want.
  5. Click on Insert. Your custom footnote mark appears in your document and the insertion point moves to the bottom of the page where the footnote will appear.
  6. Enter your footnote, formatting it as you would any other text in your document.
  7. Click someplace within the body of your document.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8382) 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 Using Custom Footnote Marks.

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

Redoing an Object Browse

The Object Browser is a great way to search for and navigate through all sorts of objects in your document. Once you use ...

Discover More

Generating Double-Digit Random Numbers

Normally you use the RAND and RANDBETWEEN functions to generate random numbers. What if you want to generate random ...

Discover More

Saving an Unsavable Workbook

Macros can allow you to do some fancy data validation in your workbooks, such as checking to see if the user entered ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Changing the Footnote Separator

When you print a document that uses footnotes, Word normally places a small line between the end of the document body ...

Discover More

Positioning the Footnote Separator

The Footnote Separator, as its name implies, separates the footnotes on each page from the text on that page. If the ...

Discover More

Footnotes Don't Automatically Renumber

Editing a document can, at times, be hard work. It isn't made easier if you feel that Word is "fighting" you on some ...

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.

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

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}] 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 6 - 1?

2018-03-08 06:59:56

GAURAV KUMAR GUGLIANI

I want to change my reference number formatting option. please help me out for example I have to change my reference number from 1,2,3,......... to 2.1, 2.2, 2.3........ ?

2016-12-22 02:20:42

Carole

Dear Allan I am amazed to find Word 10 automatic footnotes omit the pilcrow (¶): they run thus *, †, ‡, §, **, ††, ‡‡. Is there any way to reinstate it using the automatic function?

2014-06-05 11:28:10

Gachmuret

Thank you for this Tip...

This is a solution for a single foot note or a little amout of them...

But how can I change the format of continuous foot notes, for exmple I am obliged to write foot notes in bracks [1], [2], [3], etc.
And doing this manually for a whole research is way to much labor.

Any proposes?

Thanks a lot!

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.

Newest Tips
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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2018 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.