Footnotes allow you to cite an external source of information or explain a concept in detail without distracting the reader from the main text. Microsoft Word makes the management of footnotes very simple, since each added note is automatically numbered and the display section is dynamically enlarged or reduced according to the length of the text. Give your document a professional look by using footnotes strategically to clarify concepts and indicate the sources of external information used.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Word 2007/2010/2013 (Windows)
Step 1. Select the "References" tab
This is a Word menu tab usually placed between the "Page Layout" and "Letters" sections. This menu tab allows you to use various tools, such as table of contents, footnotes and endnotes, quotes, captions and much more.
Step 2. Place the mouse cursor where you want the note to appear
By default, the footnotes are indicated by a progressive number placed at the top of the text. Place the cursor where you want the reference to the specific footnote to appear.
Step 3. Press the "Insert Footnote" button
This button is located in the "Footnotes" group of the "References" tab. The footnote reference number will be inserted at the specified point and a separating line from the text will be inserted at the bottom of the page. The text cursor will automatically move to the footnote at the bottom of the page. This will allow you to enter the content of the note.
- An endnote is like a footnote except that the reference is placed at the end of the document. By default, endnotes are numbered using Roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.).
- Alternatively, to create a footnote, you can use the hotkey combination Ctrl + Alt + F or Ctrl + Alt + D to create an endnote.
Step 4. Change the footnote numbering format
By default, footnote numbering is automatic for the entire length of the document. You can change this setting so that the numbering restarts on every page or section of the document.
- Press the "Menu" button located in the lower right corner of the "Footnotes" section. This will bring up the "Footnotes and End Notes" window. Use the "Numbering" drop-down menu in the "Format" section to choose when the note numbering should start over.
- You can insert a new section of the document by accessing the "Page Layout" tab and pressing the "Breaks" button located in the "Page Setup" group. Now select the type of break you want to insert. In addition to changing the way footnotes and endnotes are numbered, breaks are a great way to change the look of a specific portion of your document.
Step 5. Change the footnote format
If you want the numbering of the notes to use symbols instead of numbers, for the note to appear below the text instead of at the end of the page, or for the numbering to start from a specific number, you can change these aspects through the "Footnotes" window page and closing ". To access this window, press the "Menu" button located in the lower right corner of the "Footnotes" section.
Press the Symbol… button to choose the symbol to use from the "Symbol" menu. You can choose any letter of any font, although the font displayed by default is the Symbols
Method 2 of 3: Word 2011 (Mac)
Step 1. Switch to "Print Layout" view
To do this, access the "View" menu and select the "Print Layout" item.
Step 2. Place the text cursor where you want the footnote to appear
The footnote reference will be inserted where the cursor is, so place it where required.
Step 3. Enter your note
From the "Document Elements" tab, press the "Footnote" button located in the "Citations" group. The footnote will be inserted where the cursor is, and you will be redirected to the footnote section to be able to insert the content of the newly created note. The footnote text will be placed at the end of the same page where the footnote reference mark appears, detached from the body of the document by a separator line.
Alternatively, to create a footnote you can use the hotkey combination ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + F or ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + D to create an endnote
Step 4. Change the footnote format
If you want the numbering of the notes to use symbols instead of numbers, for the note to appear below the text instead of at the end of the page, or for the numbering to start from a specific number, you can change these aspects through the "Footnotes" window page and closing ". To access this window, select the "Footnote" item from the "Insert" menu.
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Press the Symbol… button to choose the symbol to use from the "Symbol" menu. You can choose any letter of any font, although the default displayed font is Symbols.
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By default, footnote numbering is automatic for the entire length of the document. You can change this setting so that the numbering restarts on every page or section of the document. To do this, use the "Numbering" drop-down menu in the "Format" section to choose when the note numbering should start over.
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You can apply the new changes to just the selected piece of text, to the current section, or to the entire document.
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Method 3 of 3: Word 2003 (Windows) or Word 2004/2008 (Mac)
Step 1. Switch to "Print Layout" view
To do this, access the "View" menu and select the "Print Layout" item.
Step 2. Place the text cursor where you want the footnote to appear
The footnote reference will be inserted where the cursor is, so place it where required.
Step 3. Enter the footnote
Access the "Insert" menu, select the "Reference" item and choose the "Footnote …" option to display the "Footnote and closing notes" management window. Select the "Footnotes" tab, then choose the numbering format you want. You can decide that the automatic note numbering uses custom numbers or symbols.
- In Word 2004/2008, access the "Insert" menu and select the "Footnote…" item.
- Alternatively, to create a footnote in Windows, you can use the hotkey combination Ctrl + Alt + F or Ctrl + Alt + D to create an endnote. On Mac, to create a footnote you can use the hotkey combination ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + F or ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + D to create an endnote.
Step 4. Enter the footnote text
After creating the note, you will be automatically redirected to the section at the bottom of the page to enter the text related to the note. At the end select the item "Back" to return to the drafting of the main document.
