How to Edit Footnotes in Word | Text, Format & Numbering

Edit footnotes in Word by double-clicking the reference number, then modify text, formatting, or numbering in the footnote area or References tab.

Whether you’re polishing a research paper or fixing a citation, knowing how to edit footnotes in Word keeps your document clean and professional. The process is straightforward once you understand the two entry points: the footnote text area for content changes and the style system for global formatting that applies across the entire document.

Editing the Text of a Footnote

Double-clicking the superscript reference number in the document body instantly takes you to the footnote area at the bottom of the page, where you can type new text, delete existing content, or select and reformat the text directly.

Locate the superscript number in your main document and double-click it. Word scrolls to the footnote pane at the bottom of the page. Make your edits there. When you’re done, double-click the same reference number in the body text to jump back to where you were working.

How Do You Change the Formatting of All Footnotes at Once?

Modifying the Footnote Text and Footnote Reference styles in the Styles pane lets you change the font, size, spacing, and indentation for every footnote in the document at once, rather than editing each one manually.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S to open the Styles pane. Scroll through the list to find Footnote Text (controls the note body) and Footnote Reference (controls the superscript number). Right-click the style you want to change and select Modify. Click Format in the bottom-left corner, then choose Font to change the typeface, size, or color, or Paragraph to adjust indentation and spacing. Click OK to apply the change to every footnote in the document — past and future.

Here is a quick overview of the main editing tasks and where to find the controls:

Editing Footnotes in Word: Numbering, Layout, and Style Controls

The Footnote and Endnote dialog box gives you control over number format, starting number, continuous or per-chapter numbering, and the location of footnotes on the page.

Go to the References tab and click the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Footnotes group. In the dialog that opens, you can change the number format (1,2,3 / i,ii,iii / a,b,c), choose a starting number, and decide whether footnotes appear at the bottom of the page or directly below the text. Click Apply to save your changes.

Deleting a Footnote Completely

To fully remove a footnote, you must delete the reference superscript number in the document body — deleting the text at the bottom leaves the number intact and creates a broken reference that still counts in the numbering sequence.

In the main document, click once on the superscript footnote number, then drag to select it or click a second time to highlight it fully. Press Delete or Backspace. The footnote text at the bottom of the page disappears along with the reference number. This is the only reliable method, as confirmed by Microsoft’s guidance on deleting footnotes.

Handy Keyboard Shortcuts for Footnotes

These shortcuts save time when you’re working with footnotes regularly.

Editing Footnotes: A Five-Step Workflow

Keep this sequence in mind whenever you need to work with footnotes in a document.

1. Double-click the superscript reference number to edit the footnote text directly.
2. Use the Styles pane (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S) to change font, size, and spacing for all footnotes at once.
3. Open the Footnote and Endnote dialog from the References tab to adjust numbering format and layout.
4. Select and delete the superscript number in the body text to remove a footnote entirely — never just the text below.
5. Use Alt+Ctrl+F to insert a new footnote without lifting your hands from the keyboard.