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: Converting to Automatic Endnotes.

Converting to Automatic Endnotes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 29, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


Teresa has a 300-page document with endnote reference numbers inserted in superscript, but the endnotes are merely a list at the end of the document; they are normal text. She wonders if there is a way to turn these into dynamic endnotes or if she has to do the conversion by hand.

Word does not provide a way to convert from manual notes to its automatic system. Instead, you need to choose each endnote from the end of the document, copy it to the Clipboard, locate the endnote marker in the text, delete it, insert one of Word's endnotes, and then paste the endnote text into the actual endnote. Having gone through this manual process several times, I can personally tell you that it gets very tiring very fast.

The solution is to use a macro to do the conversion for you. (Tedious work like this is exactly what macros are great for.) The macro isn't a short one, though, as there are a lot of steps that have to be gone thorough, as already recounted. So, rather than reinvent the wheel, I'll simply refer you to Greg Maxey's site where he discusses this very problem:

https://gregmaxey.com/word_tip_pages/convert_reference_notes_to_dynamic_footnotes.html

Greg provides a good discussion of how such a note conversion should occur, along with a macro that will handle the conversion. It is flexible, in that it allows you to indicate how the note reference IDs in your document appear, along with how the notes are enumerated at the end of the document.

Another possible solution is to use a third-party add-in that does the conversion for you. One such solution is called NoteStripper, available from the good folks at The Editorium. You can find the product here:

http://www.editorium.com/15078.htm

Notice that you can try out the product for 45 days, after which time you'll need to pay a nominal fee for it. The product will do lots more than just converting from manual to automatic notes. In that way it is much more comprehensive than the macro provided at Greg Maxey's site. You'll want to check it out and see if it will work for you.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9141) 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: Converting to Automatic Endnotes.

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

Starting Microsoft Graph

Microsoft Graph is a simplistic graphic tool that you can use to quickly add graphs to your document. Here's how to start ...

Discover More

Editing While Spell-Checking

When you run a spell-check on a document, you may end up seeing other things that need to be edited. Never fear; you can ...

Discover More

Default Cell Movement when Deleting

Delete a cell or a range of cells, and Excel needs to figure out how to rearrange the void left by the deletion. You can ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Formatting Endnote Reference Marks

The reference marks used for endnotes are, by default, formatted "good enough" for most people. If you are one of those ...

Discover More

Adding Information after the Endnotes

Endnotes appear at the end of the document, right? Not always, as Word provides a way that you can actually add as much ...

Discover More

Inserting Endnotes

Endnotes appear at either the end of a section or the end of an entire document. It is just as easy to insert an endnote ...

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 four more than 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form 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.