Word inserts a footnote and its reference number together. Click where the reference should appear, choose References > Insert Footnote, then type in the footnote area Word opens.
Using the command keeps the note linked to the text as the document changes. Manually formatting a number as superscript creates no linked note.
In this guide
Place the reference before inserting the note
In desktop Word for Windows, click where the reference belongs in the sentence. Follow your editor's or course's rules for placing it around punctuation.
Choose Insert Footnote on the References tab. Word inserts the reference number and opens the linked note area for the explanation or citation.
Status: Microsoft help for desktop Word on Windows and Mac checked 22 October 2026. No insertion, deletion or renumbering test was performed.
Type the explanation in that area. Microsoft documents the sequence in its footnote and endnote instructions.
When a note cites an online source, link its title to the web address in Word so readers can open the source without a long displayed URL.
Double-click the note's opening reference mark to return to its place in the main text. This saves scrolling through a long document to find the sentence again.
Footnote or endnote?
Microsoft states that footnotes occupy the page-bottom area, while endnotes follow the document text. Use the type required by the document's style rules.
For an endnote, place the cursor at its reference point and select References > Insert Endnote. Type the note in the endnote area Word creates.
For an endnote, use the endnote command rather than dragging a footnote's text to the document's end. Word needs the correct note type to manage its placement.
A normal superscript number is also different from a footnote reference. Formatting a typed 1 as superscript does not create the linked note area.
For spreadsheet annotations, Excel uses matched cell references or a printed footer rather than this automatic Word note system.
Slide citations work differently: PowerPoint uses a manual reference and footer pair rather than a generated Word note.
For ordinary chemical notation or an exponent, Word has character-position controls that do not create a linked reference.
Desktop Word for Mac uses the same References commands. Microsoft's Mac footnote guide confirms both note types and the double-click return to the reference.
Correct or delete a note in the right place
To correct the wording, edit the note text. To remove the note itself, locate its reference mark in the main body of the document.
Select the note's reference mark in the main text and press Delete. Microsoft says to remove the reference itself, rather than just erasing the explanation.
Numbers printed in the header or footer use the separate Word page-number feature. They are not footnote references to delete from the body.
Microsoft's note-deletion guide covers both types. Removing only the note text can leave its reference behind.
Check nearby references after deleting a note. If the sequence looks wrong, do not type numbers over Word's generated marks to disguise it.
For a document shared for review, inspect Track Changes and outstanding revisions before deciding that a deleted reference has become a numbering fault.
Spacing and page layout are separate settings
Word manages the note's placement, but its font size and spacing still need to meet the document requirements. Footnotes do not always use the same formatting as the main text.
To check note alignment, show Word's measuring scale before adjusting a selected paragraph's indent.
For chapter navigation, build an automatic contents table from heading styles. Note references do not belong in that heading structure.
When a submission needs double line spacing, set Word's spacing controls instead of inserting blank lines into notes or between paragraphs.
For a form that also contains task items, choose clickable Word checkboxes or printed box bullets independently of the note-numbering settings.
For an unexpectedly placed note, check its type and locate the linked reference first. Avoid deleting page breaks or rebuilding the document before checking those basics.
If generated references remain inconsistent in a long or heavily reviewed file, preserve a copy and ask Microsoft Support or the document's editor to inspect it.
The Short Version
Place the cursor at the reference point, choose References > Insert Footnote and type the note. Use Insert Endnote for the document-end version.
To remove a note, delete its reference mark in the main text. Do not replace Word's generated markers with manually typed numbers.
Where to Next
Inspect your first note in print preview, then add later references with the same command. Verify both the reference position and the note's formatting before sending the document.
