Document Editing Problems

How to Skip Specific Footnote Numbers in Microsoft Word

Phi Hung Vo Sep 30, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to skip specific footnote numbers (for example, jumping directly from 70 to 76) within a Microsoft Word document.

How to Skip Specific Footnote Numbers in Microsoft Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Customizing footnote numbering sequences to meet specific academic, legal, or editorial formatting requirements.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Word enforces continuous numbering or restricts restarting footnote sequences to pages or sections, lacking a native feature to arbitrarily skip numbers within a single, continuous section.

Before you start

Review your document's overall layout, as skipping footnote numbers requires adding section breaks which might unintentionally affect your page margins, headers, or footers.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Section Breaks to Restart Footnote Numbering

Since Word does not allow skipping numbers within the same section, you can insert a section break and configure the new section to start at your desired footnote number.

Microsoft Word's default behavior is to number footnotes continuously or to restart them per page or section. To skip numbers in your document, you must divide your document into separate sections.

Be aware that inserting section breaks changes the underlying structure of your document, so use this workaround only if your overall layout permits it.

Insert a Section Break

Place your cursor at the exact location where you want the new footnote sequence to begin. Navigate to the 'Layout' tab on the ribbon, click 'Breaks', and select 'Continuous' or 'Next Page' under the Section Breaks category.

Open Footnote Options

Go to the 'References' tab. Click the small dialog box launcher arrow located in the bottom-right corner of the Footnotes group to open the Footnote and Endnote dialog box.

Set the Start Number

In the dialog box, locate the 'Start at' field and enter your desired number (e.g., 76). Under the 'Apply changes to' dropdown menu, select 'This section', and then click 'Apply'.

Use Section Breaks to Restart Footnote Numbering

Formatting Impact: Using section breaks might disconnect your headers and footers from previous sections. Double-check your document layout to ensure consistency after applying this workaround.

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Use WPS Office for a Seamless Document Editing Experience

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1. Download and Install: Get WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your computer.
2. Open Your Word Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing .docx file. Your current footnotes and section breaks will load perfectly.
3. Edit and Manage Footnotes: Navigate to the References tab in WPS Writer to easily insert, format, or adjust footnote settings just as you would in Microsoft Office.

Completely free to use with a familiar, intuitive user interfaceSeamlessly open, edit, and save Microsoft Word (.docx) formats with full compatibilityAdvanced tools for managing footnotes, endnotes, and document layoutsLightweight software that runs smoothly on Windows, Mac, and Linux

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide a footnote number in Word without deleting the footnote?

Yes, you can highlight the footnote reference number in the text, open the Font dialog box (Ctrl+D), and check the 'Hidden' attribute. However, this will not automatically adjust the numbering sequence of the subsequent footnotes.

Why did my footnote numbering restart at 1 automatically?

Your footnote numbering is likely configured to restart at each section or page. You can change this behavior by opening the Footnote and Endnote dialog box (under the References tab) and changing the numbering option to 'Continuous'.

Is there a way to use custom symbols instead of footnote numbers?

Yes. In the Footnote and Endnote dialog box, you can click the 'Symbol' button under the Format section to select a custom character (like an asterisk or dagger) instead of using a standard number sequence.

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