Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 18, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365
You can format footnote reference marks in the same manner in which you format regular text. If you have a large number of footnotes in your text, however, it could get tedious to manually format every reference mark. Instead, consider changing the style that Word automatically applies to footnote reference marks.
When you add your first footnote to a document, Word automatically creates a style called Footnote Reference. To change the appearance of your footnote references, all you need to do is change the formatting associated with the style. (How you change styles has been covered extensively in other issues of WordTips.)
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11739) 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: Formatting Footnote Reference Marks.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
When you add a really long footnote to a document, it could be that the entire footnote might not fit on the page where ...
Discover MoreWhen you add hyperlinks to a document, Word makes them active, meaning you can click them to open the target of the ...
Discover MoreWhen laying out how your printed pages will look, you might want to place your footnotes into more than one column. The ...
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