How to Remove Footnotes in Word

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Footnotes in Word make it easy for a reader to find where your data came from, and citation formats like MLA or APA, require the use of them. But what if you want to remove a footnote? This wikiHow article will show you how to remove a single footnote in Word or all of them at once. Since both the Mac and Windows versions of Word are similar, these methods will work in either environment.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Deleting One Footnote

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/ff\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/ff\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-1.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can either open your document within word from the “File” tab or you can find your file in your file browser, right-click on it, then select “Open With…” and “Word.”
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0e\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/0e\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-2.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":343,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":543,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This is in the main body of the document. The actual footnote will appear at the bottom of the page, but the reference to it is in the body of the paper.
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  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/fe\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/fe\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-3.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":343,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":543,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    When you delete the footnote reference, you also delete the footnote at the bottom of the page.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Deleting All Footnotes

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/39\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/39\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-4.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can either open your document within word from the “File” tab or you can find your file in your file browser, right-click on it, then select “Open With…” and “Word.”
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a7\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a7\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-5.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can press Ctrl + H if you're using a Windows computer.
    • For Mac, go to the Find tab in the Edit menu, then Advanced Find and Replace. [1]
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/68\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/68\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-6.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":343,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":543,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This is an option in the “Advanced Find and Replace” box.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/30\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-7.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":548,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The ^f means the document will search for all footnotes.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/24\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/24\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-8.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Typing nothing ensures that your footnotes are removed.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/68\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/68\/Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-9.jpg\/aid11178714-v4-728px-Remove-Footnotes-in-Word-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
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      Tips

      • If you’re finding that deleting the footnote reference is not deleting the footnote text at the bottom of the page, make sure the “Track Changes” feature is not enabled. You can find the “Track Changes” feature in the “Review” tab.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/delete-a-footnote-endnote-or-separator-4183cd36-a421-4dba-aa4c-fa511bba4b3f

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open your document in Word.
      2. Navigate to the footnote reference.
      3. Delete the footnote reference and the full footnote will be deleted.

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