Formatting Issues

How to Remove Brackets from Footnote Numbers in Word

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to remove brackets surrounding footnote numbers in a Microsoft Word document in bulk.

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting or editing a document where footnotes have been inserted and unexpectedly display brackets.
Observed behavior: Footnote numbers unexpectedly appear enclosed in brackets, often caused by a macro, custom formatting, or third-party tool.

Before you start

Before modifying your footnote formatting, turn on nonprinting characters (by clicking the paragraph symbol ¶ in the Home tab) to inspect whether the brackets are manually typed characters or part of an automated field code.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Find and Replace to Remove Brackets

The most efficient way to remove manually typed or macro-generated brackets around footnote numbers in bulk.

Since Word does not add brackets to footnotes by default, they are usually added by a macro, third-party citation tool, or manual typing. You can use the Find and Replace feature to quickly strip these characters.

Open Find and Replace

Go to the 'Home' tab and click the 'Replace' button, or simply press Ctrl + H on your keyboard to open the Find and Replace dialog box.

Find the Left Bracket

Place your cursor in the 'Find what' field and type a left bracket: [. Leave the 'Replace with' field completely blank.

Replace All

Click 'Replace All' to remove all left brackets in the document. Repeat this entire process by typing a right bracket: ] in the 'Find what' field to remove the closing brackets.

Caution with Global Replacement: Using this method will remove all brackets throughout your document, including those in regular text. Ensure you do not have essential bracketed information before clicking Replace All.

Solution 2

Check Citation Add-in Settings

Resolve the issue at the source if brackets are automatically generated by a third-party citation or reference tool.

Easy Document Formatting

Effortlessly Manage Footnotes with WPS Writer

WPS Writer provides an intuitive and highly compatible word processing environment where you can easily insert, customize, and format footnotes without unexpected bracket issues.

1. Open your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing the footnotes.
2. Use the References Tab: Go to the 'References' tab and click 'Insert Footnote' to generate clean, standard footnote numbers without automated brackets.
3. Fix Existing Formatting: To remove existing brackets, press Ctrl + H to open the Replace tool and efficiently clear out unwanted formatting characters.
4. Inspect Hidden Marks: Use the 'Show/Hide Editing Marks' button in the Home tab to inspect your footnote formatting precisely.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formatsIntuitive Reference tab for easy and clean footnote managementAdvanced Find and Replace tools for quick formatting fixesFree, lightweight, and fast word processor

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my footnotes have brackets in Word?

Word does not add brackets to standard footnotes by default. They are usually added by a custom macro, a specific citation style from a third-party add-in (like EndNote or Zotero), or copied over from another formatted document.

Can I remove all brackets in a document at once?

Yes, you can use the Find and Replace feature (Ctrl + H). Enter '[' in the 'Find what' field and leave 'Replace with' blank, then click 'Replace All'. Repeat the process for ']'. Be aware that this will remove brackets from your regular text as well.

How do I view hidden formatting marks for footnotes?

Go to the 'Home' tab and click the paragraph symbol (¶) or press Ctrl + Shift + 8. This will display nonprinting characters, helping you identify if the brackets are manually typed text or part of an automated field code.

Document & File Issues