How to Return to an Endnote Reference in Microsoft Word

Word returns you to the original note location when you click the endnote reference number at the end of the document.

After writing your endnote, how do you go back to where you placed it in the document?

Click the endnote reference number

After you type or paste text into the endnote area, select the small endnote reference number next to that note. Word jumps back to the matching reference mark in the main document.

• This works as the built-in return path for the same endnote.
• You do not need to scroll back manually through the document.
• If Shift+F5 does not return you to that spot, use the reference number instead.

Use the note’s reference number, not a keyboard shortcut, to return to the insertion point.

Word takes you back to the exact reference location in the body text for that endnote.

When the cursor lands beside the original note marker in the document, the jump worked.

The fastest way back is the linked endnote reference

For this Word task, the direct answer is simple: click the endnote reference number to return to where the note was placed. It is more reliable for this purpose than manual scrolling, and the same practical workflow can be followed in WPS Writer.

Complete This Workflow with WPS Office

Use Word, Excel, and PPT for FREE

Free Download

WPS Office can follow the endnote reference link directly in WPS Writer.

1. Open the document in WPS Writer and scroll to the endnote text you have just edited.
2. Select the superscript endnote number attached to that note rather than selecting ordinary note text.
3. Follow the linked reference number to return to the matching marker in the document body.
4. Confirm the cursor lands beside the correct sentence before continuing to edit or navigating to another note.

If a converted document breaks the link, test a duplicate DOCX and verify every endnote before replacing the original. Also check that cross-references, page layout, and exported PDF links still return readers to the intended note location.

Return to an Endnote Reference in Microsoft Word FAQs

What should I do if Shift+F5 does not return me from the endnote?

Use the endnote reference number instead. In the source case, Shift+F5 did not solve the navigation, but clicking the reference number did.

How can I verify that Word returned me to the correct endnote location?

Check that the cursor appears beside the same numbered marker in the body text. You can also click the note again and confirm the jump works in both directions.

How can I confirm that Word returned me to the correct endnote marker?

After clicking the endnote reference number, look for the cursor beside the matching superscript endnote marker in the main text. That confirms you are back at the original insertion point.

After writing your endnote, how do you go back to where you placed it in the document?

The quickest way back from an endnote to the original insertion point is to click the endnote reference number. This takes you back to the matching reference in the document without scrolling or relying on Shift+F5.