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: Default Numbering Format for Endnotes.

Default Numbering Format for Endnotes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 27, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Ken wonders if it is possible to change the default numbering format for endnotes from i, ii etc. to Roman numerals. While this can be done manually in the Insert Endnote dialog box, that takes several steps and a change to the default would be much easier and faster.

It is possible to change the default, but the way you do it is to change the template on which new documents are based. In most cases, this means changing the Normal.dot template. Load the template directly into Word, and then follow these steps:

Display the Footnote and Endnote dialog box. (In Word 97 or Word 2000, select Footnote from the Insert menu. In Word 2002 or Word 2003, select Reference from the Insert menu and then choose Footnote.)
Select the Endnote radio button. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Footnote and Endnote dialog box.

Using the Number Format drop-down list, select the numbering format you want to use.
Click OK to close the Footnote and Endnote dialog box.
Insert a dummy endnote and then delete it. (This is important so that Word actually has to "use" the settings you made.)
Save and close the template file.

The next time you create a document based on that template, the endnote reference numbers will be formatted as Roman numerals (assuming you selected a Roman numeral format in step 3). This won't affect any existing documents, only new ones.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (589) 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: Default Numbering Format for Endnotes.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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