How to Convert Footnotes to Endnotes in Word

You may need to change footnotes to endnotes when a publisher requires that format or when you want to move comments to the end of a document. Word provides a built-in conversion tool that moves all footnotes or endnotes in one action. This article explains how to locate the conversion command and execute it without losing any note content.

What the Footnote-to-Endnote Conversion Feature Does

Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page, while endnotes appear at the end of the document or section. The conversion feature in Word changes the placement of all existing notes without altering the note text or numbering style. You do not need to retype or manually move each note. The operation affects every footnote or endnote in the document at once. There is no way to convert only a selection of notes — the tool works on the entire document. Before using it, save a copy of your document if you want to keep the original footnote layout.

Steps to Convert Footnotes to Endnotes in Word

1. Open the Footnote and Endnote dialog
   Go to the References tab on the ribbon. In the Footnotes group, click the small arrow icon in the bottom-right corner of the group. This opens the Footnote and Endnote dialog.
2. Click the Convert button
   In the dialog, locate the Convert button at the bottom. Click it to open the Convert Notes dialog.
3. Choose the conversion direction
   In the Convert Notes dialog, select Convert all footnotes to endnotes. Click OK.
4. Close the dialog
   Click Close in the Footnote and Endnote dialog. All footnotes in the document now appear as endnotes at the end of the document.

Common Issues and Things to Avoid When Converting Notes

“Convert” button is grayed out

The Convert button becomes unavailable if the document contains no footnotes or no endnotes. Word requires at least one note of the source type to enable the button. Insert a footnote first using References > Insert Footnote or the keyboard shortcut Alt+Ctrl+F, then try the conversion again.

Endnotes appear in the wrong location

By default, endnotes are placed at the end of the document. If your document has multiple sections, endnotes may appear at the end of each section instead. To change this, open the Footnote and Endnote dialog, select Endnotes, and choose End of document from the dropdown. Apply the change before or after conversion.

Numbering format changes after conversion

Word preserves the numbering style of the original notes during conversion. If footnotes used Arabic numerals and endnotes used Roman numerals, the endnotes will retain the original numbering style. To adjust the format, open the Footnote and Endnote dialog, select Number format, and pick a new style.

Cannot convert only selected notes

The Convert button always affects every footnote or endnote in the document. There is no option to convert a single note or a range of notes. If you need to convert only some notes, you must delete the unwanted notes and insert them manually in the correct format.

Item	Footnotes	Endnotes
Location	Bottom of each page	End of document or section
Insert shortcut	Alt+Ctrl+F	Alt+Ctrl+D
Conversion tool	References > Footnotes > Dialog Launcher > Convert	Same dialog
Numbering control	Dialog > Number format	Dialog > Number format

After conversion, review the endnotes section to ensure all notes are present and correctly numbered. You can customize the endnote numbering restart behavior by selecting Continuous or Restart each section in the Footnote and Endnote dialog. For advanced control, use the Layout tab to adjust section breaks and control where endnotes appear.