Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Converting to Automatic Endnotes.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 16, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
William works with files that he receives from other people, and sometimes those documents include endnotes. The problem is that the endnotes are manually added—they are not inserted using Word's automatic note system. The endnote markers are simply superscripted text, and the endnotes themselves are typed at the end of the document. This makes it impossible to add or delete endnotes and have them automatically renumbered, as they would be if Word's note system was used.
Word does not provide a way to convert from manual notes to its automatic system. Instead, you need to choose each endnote from the end of the document, copy it to the Clipboard, locate the endnote marker in the text, delete it, insert one of Word's endnotes (Insert | Footnote or Insert | Reference | Footnote, depending on your version of Word), and then paste the endnote text into the actual endnote. If you have lots and lots of endnotes in a document, this can get very tiring very fast.
One possible solution is to use a third-party program that does the conversion for you. One such program is called NoteStripper, available from the good folks at Editorium. You can find the product here:
http://www.editorium.com/15078.htm
Notice that you can try out the product for 45 days, after which time you'll need to pay a nominal fee for it. The product will do lots more than just converting from manual to automatic notes. Check it out and see if it will work for you.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (341) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Converting to Automatic Endnotes.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
Endnotes appear at either the end of a section or the end of an entire document. It is just as easy to insert an endnote ...
Discover MoreThe reference marks that appear for footnotes in a document are normally just superscripted digits. If you want to change ...
Discover MoreWhen you insert footnotes in a document, Word allows you to modify the formatting applied to the footnote references. ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
Comments