Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. 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: Changing the Footnote Continuation Separator.

Changing the Footnote Continuation Separator

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated October 22, 2016)

If you have a very long footnote that won't entirely fit in the space allocated for footnotes on the current page, Word automatically continues the footnote on the following page. In these cases, you can specify that Word use a different footnote separator to indicate that the footnotes are a continuation from the previous page. To change the continuation separator, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you are viewing your document in Draft view. (Display the View tab of the ribbon and click Draft in the Views group.)
  2. Display the References tab of the ribbon.
  3. Click Show Notes.
  4. If you have both footnotes and endnotes defined in your document, Word displays the Show Notes dialog box. (In some versions of Word it may be called the View Notes or View Footnotes dialog box.) (See Figure 1.)

    5. Figure 1. The Show Notes dialog box.

  5. Click on the View Footnote Area radio button.
  6. Click on OK.
  7. Using the Footnotes drop-down list at the top of the Footnotes window, choose Footnote Continuation Separator. The current separator appears in the window.
  8. Change or delete the separator, as desired.
  9. When you are satisfied with the appearance of the separator, click on Close.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11775) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Changing the Footnote Continuation Separator.

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

Understanding View Options

Understanding the options available on the View tab of the Options dialog box based on the view you are using.

Discover More

Applying Formatting in Lists

If you want to change the formatting applied to numbers or bullets in your lists, you'll appreciate the information in ...

Discover More

Setting Denominator Depth Spacing in the Equation Editor

How to change the distance between a fraction bar and the baseline of the number below it.

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 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Inserting Footnotes Using Custom Footnote Marks

Automatic footnotes are easy to insert in Word documents. The default settings are usually fine for most projects. ...

Discover More

Footnotes in Two Columns

When laying out how your printed pages will look, you might want to place your footnotes into more than one column. The ...

Discover More

Viewing Footnotes

Adding footnotes to a document is essential for some types of writing. How you view those footnotes depends on the ...

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.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

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}] 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 one more than 8?

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.

Newest Tips
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.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.