How to Hide Footnotes in Word
Sometimes, you need to hide footnotes in a Word document without deleting them. This quick and easy process lets you clean up the appearance of your document while keeping those crucial notes just a few clicks away.
How to Hide Footnotes in Word
In this section, we’ll walk you through the steps to hide footnotes in your Word document. These steps will ensure that your footnotes won’t appear on the page, but can still be accessed if needed.
Step 1: Open Your Document
First, open the Word document where you want to hide the footnotes.
Make sure you’ve saved a backup copy of your document. This ensures you can always go back to the original if needed.
Step 2: Switch to Draft View
Go to the ‘View’ tab and then click ‘Draft’ in the Views group.
Draft view simplifies the layout, making it easier to see the footnotes as you work with them.
Step 3: Open the Footnotes Pane
In the Draft view, go to the ‘References’ tab and click ‘Show Notes’.
This will open the Footnotes pane at the bottom of your screen, where you can see all the footnotes in your document.
Step 4: Select All Footnotes
Click inside the Footnotes pane and press ‘Ctrl+A’ to select all the footnotes.
This action allows you to apply changes to all footnotes at once, ensuring none are missed.
Step 5: Change Font Color to White
With all footnotes selected, go to the ‘Home’ tab, click the ‘Font Color’ dropdown, and choose white.
Changing the font color to white makes the footnotes invisible on a white page but keeps them in the document.
After completing these steps, your footnotes will be hidden from view, but they will remain in the document. You can always change the font color back to make them visible again.
Tips for Hiding Footnotes in Word
- Save a copy of your document before making changes.
- Remember that hiding the footnotes doesn’t remove them from the document.
- Use the ‘Draft’ view for easier access to footnotes.
- Change the font color back if you need to make the footnotes visible again.
- Consider using a macro for quickly hiding and showing footnotes if you need to do this often.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I want to hide footnotes?
Hiding footnotes can make your document look cleaner and more professional, especially if the footnotes are not immediately necessary for the reader.
Can I unhide the footnotes later?
Yes, by changing the font color back to black (or your document’s standard text color), the footnotes will become visible again.
Will hiding footnotes affect my document’s formatting?
No, hiding footnotes by changing the font color does not affect the document’s overall formatting.
Is there a way to hide individual footnotes?
Yes, you can select individual footnotes and change their font color to white as needed.
Can I use this method in other versions of Word?
Yes, this method works in most versions of Word, although the exact steps and labels might differ slightly.
Summary
- Open your document.
- Switch to Draft view.
- Open the Footnotes pane.
- Select all footnotes.
- Change the font color to white.
Conclusion
Hiding footnotes in Word is a useful trick when you want to maintain a clean and professional look in your documents. By following the simple steps outlined above, you can quickly make footnotes invisible without permanently removing them. This ensures that all your important notes are still there when you need them, just out of sight for when you don’t.
If you often find yourself needing to hide and then show footnotes, consider creating a macro to streamline the process. Additionally, always remember to save a copy of your document before making any changes. This way, you can easily revert to the original if needed.
For more detailed tasks related to document formatting and management, check out other guides and tutorials. Your Word skills will only continue to improve, making you more efficient and effective in creating polished, professional documents.

Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.