How do I renumber existing footnotes in Microsoft Word for Mac

September 22, 2017 5:15 AM

I have a LONG document with hundreds of footnotes that currently are numbered sequentially. I'd like to add section breaks to the document and have the footnotes start from the number 1 at each break. I'm not sure that it's even possible. Can anyone offer advice?

I'm working in Microsoft Word for Mac Version 15.38, part of my Office 365 subscription.

posted by Jamesonian to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

One thing you might try is importing a copy of your document into Google Docs and look for Add-Ons. These are scripts that people write to handle similar tasks. Someone may very well have solved this already especially if it’s not possible in Word.
posted by bendy at 5:19 AM on September 22, 2017

It's been a long time since I did this but if you split the document into sections you can indeed then restart the numbering to 1 at each section break.

Inserting section breaks (in case you're unfamiliar).
posted by humph at 5:24 AM on September 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

(I would test this on a copy and then use the Save As method (mydoc01, mydoc02, etc.) while you work on it because it can be a bit buggy.)
posted by humph at 5:26 AM on September 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: @humph I found that link as well. Unfortunately, it describes a feature in Word (Dialog Launcher) that no longer exists, at least on the Mac version. :(
posted by Jamesonian at 5:27 AM on September 22, 2017

Ah, my apologies, I'm in a Word-less Windows environment.
posted by humph at 5:30 AM on September 22, 2017

In the 2016 Mac version the feature can be accessed here ("Customize footnotes and endnotes" section). Set the Numbering to your preferred option (Continous, Page, Section).
posted by elgilito at 5:53 AM on September 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Definitely possible--I did this with my doctoral thesis. I'm still running Word for Mac 2011, and when I do Insert>Footnote, I get a dialogue box that gives the option to either number the footnotes continuously, restart with each page, or restart with each section. Then all you have to do is create the sections you want.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 12:05 PM on September 22, 2017

My first question would be "why?" If all footnotes will be at the bottom of the pages, then no problem. But, if the footnotes will be gathered at the end of the mss., finding a particular footnote can be difficult. I remember doing research in such books, with footnotes separated by chapters. I almost never remembered which chapter I was in when I went looking for the footnote, so I'd have to figure that out first. And then I'd have to mark my place, go find the footnote, and then go back.

I'm hopeful that it's easier digitally, when each footnote number can be a link to the footnote itself? So you can go back and forth easily. In which case, have at it.
posted by MovableBookLady at 2:39 PM on September 22, 2017