OmniDocMove Word Footnotes to the End of a Document
Learn how to move Word footnotes to the end of a document using the footnote settings dialog, convert them, and check the numbering afterward.
If you are formatting a thesis, a legal brief, or a long report, you may need word footnotes at end of document instead of at the bottom of each page. Many style guides and journals ask for notes collected at the back, and reformatting them by hand is slow and easy to get wrong. Editing each note one at a time also risks broken numbering in a long file.
Word can handle this for you. You change where the notes appear and then convert the footnotes into notes at the end, which Word places at the back of the document. The whole change takes a few minutes and can be undone if you keep a backup copy.
This guide covers the footnote settings dialog, the conversion step, and how to check the result. It also explains what to do if you work in a different editor.
How do you move Word footnotes to the end of a document? The short answer
Change the note location in the footnote settings dialog to the end of the document, and convert the footnotes. Word keeps the note text and numbering, and moves each note to the back.
| Your situation | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want every note at the back of the document | Convert all footnotes to end-of-document notes, with the location set to end of document | This is the standard way to collect notes at the end |
| You only want notes at the back of one section | Set the location to end of section, applied to the selected section | Each section keeps its own notes at its own end |
| You want to keep page-bottom notes but change their look | Edit the footnote location or number format, not the conversion | Conversion removes page-bottom placement, so only use it when you want notes at the end |
| You are not sure you want the change | Save a copy, run the conversion on the copy, and compare | You can go back to the original without rebuilding notes |
Before you start
Check these things first. Each one prevents a common problem.
- Save a copy of the file. The conversion changes every footnote in the chosen scope. A copy lets you compare the two versions and return to the original if something looks wrong.
- Confirm you need notes at the end, not just a different footnote position. Word can also move footnotes from the bottom of the page to just below the text on the same page. That is a different setting. If your style guide says "at the end of the document," you need notes at the end.
- Look at how many notes you have. A 12-page contract with six notes is quick to review. A 200-page thesis with several hundred notes needs more time for the check step at the end of this guide.
- Decide on scope. Decide whether the notes should move for the whole document or only one section. Section-level changes are useful when a document has chapters that follow different rules.
- Save the notes' current numbering format. If you use custom symbols, roman numerals, or restart numbering on each section, note those settings now. Conversion can change how they look, so you will want to verify them later.
Moving Word footnotes at end of document, step by step
- Open the footnote settings dialog. In Word, find the footnote controls in the References area of the ribbon and open the dialog from there. This dialog controls where notes appear and how they are numbered.
- Set the note location. In the dialog, find the setting for where notes at the end should go and choose the end of the document. This tells Word where those notes should go once they exist. If you want the change for one section only, choose the end of the section instead.
- Choose the scope. Use the setting that applies the change to the whole document or to the selected section. Confirm this before you continue, because the next step depends on it.
- Convert the footnotes. Use the conversion option in the dialog and select the option that converts all footnotes to notes at the end. Word changes each page-bottom note into a note at the back and moves its text there.
- Confirm the change. Click the option to apply the change and close the dialog. Scroll to the end of the document to see the new notes.
- Check the number format. Look at the reference marks in the body text and the matching notes at the end. If your style guide uses a different symbol or numbering style, change the number format for those notes in the same dialog.
- Save the document under a new name. Keep the converted file separate from your original, so you can compare them later or send the right version.
Check the result
Once the notes have moved, check the file before you share it. The table below lists common problems and how to fix them.
| Check | How to see it | If it's wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Notes appear at the end | Scroll to the last page and look for the notes section | Reopen the dialog and confirm the location is set to end of document |
| Reference marks match notes | Click a reference mark in the body and compare its number to the note at the end | Undo the conversion, check the source text for manual edits, and run it again on a copy |
| No notes remain at page bottoms | Scroll through several pages and look for note text under the body text | Repeat the conversion for the scope you need, or check whether one section was left out |
| Numbering starts where you expect | Check the first note and the first note in each section | Reset the numbering in the dialog, or adjust the numbering setting for that section |
| Text did not change | Compare a few paragraphs with your copy | Restore from your saved copy and repeat the steps |
If you find a problem, do not edit the notes by hand until you have compared the file to your backup. Manual changes make later fixes harder.
What if you work in another editor?
OmniDoc does not list footnote placement among its features, so the steps above are done in Word. If you received a file as a PDF, the PDF editor can edit paragraph text, sign, fill forms, redact, rearrange pages, run OCR on scanned pages, compare two PDFs, and export to Word. It cannot change where footnotes sit, so export the file to Word first and make the change there.
If you prefer to work online, the UniDoc web editor at app.unidoc.top offers Word-compatible editing. Open a copy of your document there and check that the notes behave as expected before you rely on it. The desktop client, available at download.omnidoc.top, includes the UniDoc document editor for .udoc files.
If you translate a document with OmniDoc before adding notes, remember that machine translation can change wording. Check any translated note text against the original, especially for names, dates, and citations.
❓ FAQ
1. What is the difference between a footnote and a note at the end?
A footnote appears at the bottom of the page where its reference mark sits. A note at the end appears at the end of the document or section. Both use the same reference system, and Word can convert one into the other.
2. Will converting footnotes change my text?
The body text stays the same. Word moves the note text and updates the reference marks. Compare a few paragraphs with your saved copy to confirm this in your file.
3. Can I move only some footnotes to the end?
The conversion applies to all footnotes in the chosen scope. To move only some, you need to edit those notes by hand, which can break numbering. A safer approach is to convert the whole section and then check it.
4. What if my document has no references section?
Word still places notes in the document when you use the footnote tools. If the notes section is hard to find, scroll to the end of the document and check the last page first.
5. Does this method work for PDFs?
Not directly. PDFs do not keep footnote placement as an editable setting, so export the file to Word and make the change there.
📝 Summary
To move word footnotes at end of document, change the note location in the footnote settings dialog and convert the footnotes. Save a copy first, then check the reference marks and the numbering. Your original file stays intact if you work on the copy.
