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: Jumping to a Footnote.

Jumping to a Footnote

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 24, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

You can use the Go To function of Word to jump to a specific footnote in your document. This is done in the following manner:

Choose Go To from the Edit menu, or press F5. You will see the Go To tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Go To tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.

In the left side of the dialog box, choose Footnote. This informs Word what you want to go to.
In the Enter Footnote Number box, enter the footnote number to which you want to jump. If you want to go to the next footnote, leave the box blank.
Click on the Go To button or the Next button. (This is the same button. The name changes depending on whether you entered a footnote number in step 3.)

If you want to go to a footnote relative to the one you are currently viewing, you can enter a + or - in step 3. For instance, if you want to jump ahead three footnotes, you would enter +3 in the Enter Footnote Number box. Likewise, if you wanted to jump back 2 footnotes, you would enter -2.

If there are no footnotes in the document, or if you enter an invalid footnote number, Word positions you at the beginning of the document.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1257) 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: Jumping to a Footnote.

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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Preventing Changes to Styles in Documents

Have you ever created a template only to have the styles within it changed as they were used within a document? Here are ...

Discover More

Preventing Changes to Multiple Selected Worksheets

It is common to select a group of worksheets and then print them. When done, any edits you make may affect the entire ...

Discover More

Filling a Drawing Object

Want to add some spice to the graphics in your worksheets? There are many colors and effects in Excel that allow you take ...

Discover More

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!

More WordTips (menu)

Navigating Your Document Using Outline View

When you need to get around a long document, a really helpful method is to use the Outline view built into Word. This tip ...

Discover More

Using Go To with a Percentage

Need to jump a certain percentage of the way through a document? You can do it using the familiar Go To tab of the Find ...

Discover More

Navigating a Collection of Selected Items

Word allows you to easily select portions of a document that meet differing criteria that you may specify. If you want to ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is three more than 8?

2017-09-05 14:20:51

Brett A Rogers

In open office, footnote numbers in the main body are hyperlinked to the footnote number in the footer. Its appears that MS Word does not have this function (?) and should, because it is very handy.

This Site

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.