The fastest way to add a footnote
Open your Google Doc and click at the end of the word or sentence where you want the footnote to appear. Go to the Insert menu at the top, then click Footnote. Google Docs will automatically number it, jump your cursor to the bottom of the page, and let you type your note right there. When you're done typing the footnote text, click back into your main document to keep writing.
That's the complete process. Google Docs handles all the numbering for you — if you add or delete footnotes later, the numbers update automatically across the entire document.
Key Takeaways
- Click at the end of the word needing a footnote, then go to Insert > Footnote to add one in seconds.
- Google Docs automatically numbers footnotes and renumbers them if you add or remove any later.
- Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page where they're referenced; endnotes appear at the end of the document.
- You can switch between footnotes and endnotes, delete individual notes, or change the numbering style through the Insert menu options.
- Footnotes stay with their page when you move text around, so they won't get separated from the content they explain.
Footnotes versus endnotes — which one to use
A footnote appears at the bottom of the same page where you reference it. An endnote appears at the very end of your document. Choose footnotes when you want readers to see the note immediately without flipping pages. Choose endnotes for longer documents where you want to keep the main text clean and let readers jump to all notes at once.
To add an endnote instead of a footnote, click Insert, then look for Endnote right below Footnote. The process is identical — Google Docs handles the numbering the same way.
How to delete or edit a footnote
To edit a footnote, click directly on the note text at the bottom of the page and type your changes. You can also click the small number in your main text and edit from there — either location works.
To delete a footnote, click the small number in your main text (not the note itself) and press Delete or Backspace. The entire footnote disappears, and Google Docs renumbers all the remaining footnotes automatically. Do not delete the note text at the bottom — that won't remove the reference from your document.
Changing footnote numbering and style
By default, Google Docs numbers footnotes 1, 2, 3, and so on. To change this, go to Insert > Footnote > More options. A sidebar opens where you can choose different numbering styles: you can use letters (A, B, C), Roman numerals (I, II, III), or start the numbering at a different number.
These settings apply to the entire document. If you change the style, all existing footnotes update at once. You can also choose whether footnotes restart numbering on each page or continue numbering throughout the document.
Moving between footnotes in your document
Click any footnote number in your main text to jump directly to that note at the bottom of the page. Click the small arrow or number at the start of the footnote text to jump back to where you referenced it in your document. This makes it easy to navigate when you're editing or reviewing.
If you have many footnotes, you can also use the search function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on Mac) to find specific text within your notes.
What happens to footnotes when you share or export
Footnotes stay intact when you share your Google Doc with others. Collaborators can see, edit, and add footnotes just as you can. If someone deletes a footnote, it disappears for everyone, and the numbering updates for all viewers.
When you download your document as a Word file (.docx), footnotes convert to Word footnotes and stay at the bottom of each page. If you download as a PDF, footnotes appear in the same position they occupied in your Google Doc. Exporting as plain text (.txt) removes footnotes entirely, so use Word or PDF format if you need to keep them.
Troubleshooting common footnote problems
If the Insert menu doesn't show a Footnote option, you may be in a document type that doesn't support them — Google Docs supports footnotes, but some templates or shared documents might have restrictions. Try creating a new blank document to confirm the feature works.
If footnotes aren't showing at the bottom of the page, check that you're viewing the document in editing mode, not suggestion mode. Suggestion mode can hide formatting details. Also confirm that your page margins aren't set so small that there's no room for footnotes — Google Docs needs space at the bottom of the page to display them.
If you accidentally delete a footnote and need it back, use Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac) to undo immediately. Google Docs' undo history goes back quite far, so you can usually recover a deleted note this way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have both footnotes and endnotes in the same document?
No. Google Docs treats footnotes and endnotes as a single system — you choose one or the other for the entire document. If you switch from footnotes to endnotes, all existing footnotes convert to endnotes. You cannot mix them in one document.
Do footnotes move with text if I cut and paste?
Yes. When you cut text that contains a footnote reference, the footnote moves with it. If you paste that text elsewhere in the document, the footnote pastes too and renumbers automatically. This keeps your notes attached to the content they explain.
What's the keyboard shortcut for adding a footnote?
On Windows, press Ctrl+Alt+F. On Mac, press Cmd+Option+F. This opens the footnote at the bottom of the page immediately without using the menu. The same shortcut works for endnotes if you've switched to endnote mode.
Can I format the text inside a footnote?
Yes. Click inside the footnote text and use the same formatting tools you'd use in your main document — bold, italics, links, and lists all work. You can even paste images into footnotes, though this is uncommon.
What if I need to reference the same source twice?
Create a separate footnote each time you reference it. Google Docs doesn't have a built-in "repeat citation" feature, so you'll type the source information again. For academic papers with many repeated sources, consider using a citation tool like Google Docs' built-in citation feature or an external tool like Zotero instead.