Numbering Endnotes and Adding Chapter Headings

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 14, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Jim has an 800-page book divided into chapters, each chapter in its own section of a single document. The book includes numerous endnotes, which appear at the end of the document, just as Jim wants. He would like, however, to have endnote numbering begin anew for each chapter, and for a heading (something like "Chapter 2 Endnotes") to automatically appear between each chapter's endnotes.

This is only partially possible in Word. Assuming that the only place you use section breaks is at the beginning of each chapter, then follow these steps:

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

  5. Using the drop-down list to the right of the Endnotes radio button, choose End of Document. (This makes sure that your endnotes are at the end of the entire document, not at the end of each section of the document.)
  6. Use the Number Format drop-down list to choose the type of numbering you want used for your endnotes. (In Jim's case, Arabic numbers would probably be preferred.)
  7. Set Start At to 1.
  8. Using the Numbering drop-down list, choose Restart Each Section.
  9. Make sure Apply Changes is set to whole document.
  10. Click on Apply.
  11. If the dialog box is still open, click on Cancel to close it.

Your endnotes should now be numbered as you want, restarting at 1 for each chapter. The automatic headings, in the endnotes, is the part that doesn't work automatically. You'll need to add these headings manually, but locating the proper place to do the addition should be relatively easy—just look for places where endnote numbering restarts and then put the heading before that point. If you have any chapters that have no endnotes, then you'll want to make sure you skip that chapter in the headings you add.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9535) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 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

Hiding Graphics

Do you need a printout where graphics can be turned on and off? This tip provides some concrete ways you can get just ...

Discover More

Protecting Headers and Footers

If you don't want the information in a header or footer to be changed by users of your document, there are a couple of ...

Discover More

Printing a Full Style Sheet

Word supports the use of styles (they are very powerful), but it doesn't provide a way to get a full-featured style sheet ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Creating Endnotes

Endnotes are often used in scholarly or legal documents, and they can be added easily. This tip shows how to add them ...

Discover More

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

Making Endnotes Part of the Footnotes

In a document that contains both footnotes and endnotes, you may want to convert your endnotes to footnotes. This tip ...

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 less than 4?

2025-07-07 23:09:30

B.K.

I'm hoping that your comments work just like you wrote.


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.