To select all footnotes in Word, click inside any footnote at the bottom of a page and press Ctrl + A (Command + A on a Mac). Because Word stores footnotes separately from the main text, this selects the text of every footnote in the document and nothing else. To select every footnote reference number in the body text instead, use Find with the code ^f.
Below are both methods, plus the best way to format all footnotes at once, and how to work with endnotes.
Method 1: Select all footnote text with Ctrl + A
- Open your document in Print Layout view (View > Print Layout).
- Scroll to any page with a footnote and click inside the footnote text.
- Press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Command + A (Mac).
Every footnote’s text is now highlighted throughout the document. You can change the font, size, or spacing, and the change applies to all of them.
Using Draft view and the notes pane
If Print Layout is awkward in a long document, switch to View > Draft, then click References > Show Notes. A pane opens at the bottom listing every footnote in order. Click in the pane and press Ctrl + A to select them all.
Method 2: Select all footnote reference marks with Find
The small numbers in the body text are separate from the footnote text. To select all of them:
- Press Ctrl + H to open Find and Replace, then click the Find tab.
- In Find what, type
^f(the code for a footnote mark). Use^efor endnote marks. - Click Find In and choose Main Document.
Word selects every footnote reference in the body. Close the dialog and apply formatting, such as changing the font or making the numbers bold.
Method 3: Format all footnotes using styles (recommended)
Selecting all footnotes works, but changing the style is more reliable, because new footnotes you add later will pick up the same formatting.
- On the Home tab, open the Styles pane (click the small arrow in the corner of the Styles group, or press Alt + Ctrl + Shift + S).
- Click Options, set Select styles to show to All styles, and click OK.
- Find Footnote Text, hover over it, click the arrow, and choose Modify.
- Set the font, size, and spacing you want. Click Format > Paragraph for indents and line spacing.
- Select New documents based on this template only if you want this in every future document, then click OK.
To change how the reference numbers look, modify the Footnote Reference style the same way.
Things you can do once footnotes are selected
| Task | How |
|---|---|
| Change the font or size | Select all footnote text and use the Home tab, or modify the Footnote Text style |
| Change line spacing | Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing, or the style’s Paragraph settings |
| Copy all footnote text | Select with Ctrl + A in a footnote, then Ctrl + C |
| Delete all footnotes | Find and Replace: find ^f, leave Replace with empty, click Replace All |
| Convert footnotes to endnotes | References > Footnotes dialog launcher > Convert |
| Change numbering format | References > Footnotes dialog launcher > Number format |
Select all endnotes
Endnotes work the same way. Click inside any endnote at the end of the document or section and press Ctrl + A to select them all. Use ^e in Find to select every endnote mark, and modify the Endnote Text style to format them consistently.
Troubleshooting
- Ctrl + A selected the whole document. Your cursor was in the body text. Click directly inside a footnote first.
- Some footnotes didn’t change. They may have direct formatting that overrides the style. Select all footnote text and press Ctrl + Spacebar to clear character formatting, then apply the style again.
- I can’t see the Footnote Text style. Make sure the Styles pane shows All styles, not just recommended ones.
- Footnotes don’t appear at the bottom of the page. You may be in Web Layout or Read Mode. Switch to Print Layout.
Related: How to remove all footnotes in Word.
Related: How to hide footnotes in Word.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a shortcut to select all footnotes in Word?
Yes. Click in any footnote and press Ctrl + A or Command + A.
Does this work in Word for Mac?
Yes. Click in a footnote and press Command + A. Find and Replace codes such as ^f work in the Advanced Find and Replace dialog.
Does it work in Word for the web?
Word for the web has more limited footnote tools, so use the desktop app for selecting and formatting all footnotes at once.
How do I check how many footnotes a document has?
Look at the number of the last footnote, or use Find with ^f and check the count Word reports.
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.