Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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: Searching for Footnote and Endnote Marks.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 3, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365
If you don't know where a footnote or endnote reference is located in your document, you can use Word's powerful searching capabilities to find automatic footnote references. To search for a footnote or endnote, follow these steps:

Figure 1. The Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.
If you are using Word 2007, you can accomplish the first two steps by simply pressing Ctrl+F. If you use this shortcut in Word 2010 or later, Word displays the Navigation pane to the left of your document. You can still use ^f or ^e in the box at the top of the pane, and Word displays all instances of the footnote and endnote marks in your document. Personally, I find it easier to use the full Find and Replace dialog box, thus the seven simple steps I note above.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11162) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Searching for Footnote and Endnote Marks.
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