How to Move a Word Footnote to a Different Document and Location

Use your computer's clipboard to move a footnote from one document to another.

Footnotes let you cite a reference within a research paper, report or other document directly on the page where the reference is used. The items appear at the bottom of the page in the footer section of your Microsoft Word document, along with a small number that corresponds to the footnote. When working on another document and citing the same reference, you don't have to enter the footnote again. You can move the footnote from the original Word file to your new document and even to a different location within that document.

Instructions

1. Open Word, if it is closed. Click the Windows button in the top-left corner of the screen, or click "File" if using an older version of Word or if using a Mac. Click "Open" and navigate to and double-click the document you want to move the footnote from.

2. Scroll to the page containing the footnote and double-click in the footer section of the page, the bottom of the page, to access the footnote. Highlight the footnote with your cursor.

3. Press and hold the "CTRL" key on your computer's keyboard then press the "X" key to move the footnote to your computer's Clipboard.

4. Click the Windows button or "File," then "Open." Navigate to and double-click the document you want to move the footnote to. Scroll to the location within the document where you want to place the footnote. Double-click in the footer section of that page.

5. Press and hold the "CTRL" key on your computer's keyboard then press the "V" key to paste the footnote into the new location in the new document. Note, the footnote's number also moves and the other footnote numbers within your document will automatically renumber themselves.

Tips & Warnings

• If you just want to copy a footnote from one document to another one, press and hold the "CTRL" key on your computer's keyboard and press the "C" key to copy the footnote to your computer's Clipboard. Press and hold the "CTRL" key on your computer's keyboard then press the "V" key to paste the footnote into the other document.

References

• Word.Tips: Copying and Moving Footnotes

Resources

• Word Tips: Footnotes and Endnotes