Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 13, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365
Word implements a full-featured footnote system that allows you total control over where and how footnotes are printed. If you are viewing your document in Print Layout view, the footnotes appear at the bottom of your document, the same as how they'll print.
If you are viewing your document in Draft view, however, the footnotes are not normally visible. Word opens the footnotes pane at the bottom of the document window whenever you insert a footnote. Most users, when they are through entering the footnote text, close the footnotes window so they will be able to see more of their document at once. If you later want to view the footnotes pane, you can display the References tab of the ribbon and click Show Notes in the Footnotes group. When you click the tool, the footnotes pane is displayed. You can then make changes to footnotes in the window, if you so desire.
To close the footnotes pane, you can either click on the Close button at the top of the footnotes pane, or you can again click the Show Notes tool. You can also double-click on the border between the document window and the footnotes window to close the footnotes pane in Draft view.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9996) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Viewing Footnotes.
Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!
When you add hyperlinks to a document, Word makes them active, meaning you can click them to open the target of the ...
Discover MoreThe Footnote Separator, as its name implies, separates the footnotes on each page from the text on that page. If the ...
Discover MoreIf you use Find and Replace to get rid of trailing spaces in a paragraph, you may have noticed that it doesn't work ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments