How to insert footnotes in Word on PC and Mac

When you’re working on a text document and making sure to cite your sources, it’s helpful to have a way to organize and order your footnotes. And footnotes can also be useful for functions beyond citations, as a place to add additional notes or comments that you want to keep in your document but without interrupting the flow of your main text.

To add footnotes in a Word document, there is a special footnote feature that will automatically format your footnotes and make them look neat and professional. This is one of those Microsoft Word tricks that’s useful to have up your sleeve, so we’ll show you how to add a footnote to a Word document in this guide.

how to insert footnotes in Word

The following instructions should apply to the following versions of Microsoft Word: Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word 2007. The screenshots shown in this article were taken at from Word for Microsoft. 365.

Step 1: Choose the desired location for the footnote in your document. Then click on it.

2nd step: Select the The references in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.

Step 3: Click on Insert a footnote.

Step 4: You will immediately be taken to the end of the page to a space where you can enter your footnote. Type your footnote here.

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Step 5: When you have finished typing your note, double-click the small number just before the note you just entered. This will take you back to where you were in the document itself.

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how to Insert Footnotes in Word: Use a Keyboard Shortcut

If you know you need to add a lot of footnotes to your project, you may not want to go to the References tab every time you want to add a footnote. In this case, you can simply use a quick and convenient keyboard shortcut. Here’s how:

Step 1: Choose the location of your footnote and click on it.

2nd step: Then press the following keyboard shortcut: Alt+Ctrl+F.

Step 3: You will then be taken to the bottom of the page to enter your footnote. When you’re finished typing, simply double-click the small number before the footnote you just entered to return to where you were in the document.

how to insert a footer in Word?

A different formatting style that you may also want to use in Word is the footer. Unlike a footnote, which only appears on the current page where you insert it, a footer will appear on every page of a document. This makes it useful for adding information such as the title and author of the document, or for adding page numbers or other information.

To add a footer in Word, go to Insert and then to Footer. Here you will see a box where you can add the desired text. Type what you want your footer to say, then tap Escape or click Close header and footer to save your footer.

To edit an existing footer, you can double-click it and then make your changes.

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