How to Add Chicago Style Footnotes in Microsoft Word

To add a Chicago-style footnote in Word, place the cursor after the passage you are citing, then choose References > Insert Footnote. Word adds a numbered marker in your text and opens a matching note area at the bottom of the page. You supply the citation; Word handles the numbering and placement. Before you begin, check whether your assignment uses Chicago notes and bibliography style, since the author-date system uses parenthetical citations instead of source footnotes.

What You’ll Need

A document open in the desktop version of Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365. The steps below use Word for Windows; Word for Mac has the same basic footnote command, with a different shortcut.
The source details you need to cite, such as the author, title, publication information, date, and page number. Check the citation format required by your instructor or the Chicago edition specified for your work.
Any assignment rules about font, spacing, margins, and bibliography. Chicago provides citation conventions, but instructors and publishers may set additional layout requirements.

Step-by-Step

Confirm that notes and bibliography is the required Chicago system. Chicago has two main documentation systems. Notes and bibliography commonly uses numbered footnotes or endnotes to identify sources, with a bibliography at the end when required. The author-date system usually cites sources in parentheses in the text and lists them in a reference list. If your instructions say Chicago footnotes, notes, or notes and bibliography, proceed with footnotes. If they specify author-date, do not replace the required parenthetical citations with footnotes.
Position the cursor where the note marker belongs. Click immediately after the quotation, paraphrase, or sentence that needs documentation. In standard Chicago practice, the superscript note number normally follows the punctuation at the end of the relevant sentence. If only a phrase needs a note, place the cursor at the end of that phrase, using your instructor’s guidance for punctuation. Do not type a superscript number yourself; Word inserts and manages the marker.
Insert the footnote. In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open the References tab and select Insert Footnote. Word places a superscript number at the cursor and moves the insertion point to the corresponding note at the bottom of the page. A keyboard alternative on Windows is Ctrl+Alt+F. In Word for Mac, use References > Insert Footnote; the usual shortcut is Command+Option+F. Keyboard shortcuts can vary with keyboard layout or customized settings, so use the ribbon command if a shortcut does not work.
Write the citation in the note area. Enter the source information after the number Word has inserted. For example, a first note for a book could read: 1. Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018), 45. In a finished Word document, italicize the book title. For a direct quotation or a specific paraphrase, include the relevant page number when one is available. Follow the required Chicago edition and your course guidance for punctuation and details.
Use a shortened note for a later citation of the same source. After the full first note, Chicago notes commonly use the author’s last name, a shortened title, and the page number. For example: 2. Turabian, Manual for Writers, 52. Do not assume that every repeated citation can be reduced to just a page number. A shortened note should still identify the source clearly, especially if you cite several works by the same author. Chicago guidance on repeated notes can vary by edition, so check the rules your assignment uses.
Insert each additional note with Word’s command. Repeat the cursor-and-insert process wherever another note is needed. Word automatically updates the numbering when you add, remove, or move footnotes, so you do not need to renumber them yourself. You can click a note marker in the document to jump to its note, or click the note number to return to the corresponding text. Keep each note attached to the passage it documents rather than collecting source citations in one manually numbered block.
Review the footnote numbering and placement settings. Word’s default is generally appropriate for a standard paper: numbered footnotes appear at the bottom of the page and continue in sequence. To review options on Windows, open the References tab and use the small dialog box launcher in the Footnotes group. In the Footnote and Endnote dialog box, check that Footnotes is selected, then review the location, number format, and numbering options. Choose Apply or Insert as appropriate. Do not change the numbering style or restart sequence unless your instructions require it. Word for Mac has similar footnote controls, though their placement can differ by release.
Format the notes and document to match your instructions. Word usually formats footnotes using a built-in footnote style. If your instructor requires a particular type size or spacing, select the footnote text and adjust it using the Home tab, or modify the footnote style so the change applies consistently. Chicago notes are often set smaller than the main text, but exact font and spacing requirements can vary. Avoid changing the main document’s formatting by selecting only the footnote text or editing the footnote style. Check hanging or first-line indentation requirements rather than guessing.
Check the complete paper, including the bibliography if required. Read each note against the source and verify author names, titles, publication details, dates, and page numbers. A footnote does not automatically create a bibliography entry. If your assignment requires a bibliography, add it separately and format its entries according to the relevant Chicago rules; bibliography entries are generally structured differently from full notes. Finally, save the document and check the page breaks, since adding or editing notes can change how text flows.

Common Mistakes

Typing the note number manually. A typed number is not linked to Word’s footnote system, so it will not update when notes move or disappear. Use References > Insert Footnote for every note.

Using a footnote when the assignment requires author-date. Chicago’s two systems are not interchangeable. Confirm the requested system before adding citations, and apply it consistently throughout the paper.

Repeating a full citation every time. A first citation is typically given in full, while later citations can use a clear shortened form. Conversely, shortening the first note too much can leave readers without enough information to identify the source.

Assuming the footnote is the bibliography. Notes and bibliography are separate parts of the system. If a bibliography is required, create and check it independently rather than expecting Word to generate it from your notes.

Changing the wrong text style. Selecting the whole document when you mean to change footnote type can alter the body text too. Select the notes or modify the Footnote Text style, then inspect a few notes to confirm the change is consistent.

Tips

Draft your citation details while you research. Record the source’s full title, author or editor, publication information, date, and the page or section you used. It is much easier to create an accurate full note when those details are at hand than to reconstruct them during final editing.

Use Word’s navigation behavior to review notes: select a marker to move to the note, then follow the note number back to the text. This makes it easier to check that each citation supports the right claim. When editing a long paper, use Word’s Find command to locate a distinctive author name or title, but do not replace note markers with typed numbers.

Keep a consistent policy for shortened notes. Use enough of the title to distinguish it from other works, and include the page number when the citation refers to a particular page. If your instructor provides a sample paper or a department style sheet, follow it where it gives more specific instructions than a general example.

Save a copy before making a large formatting change. Editing the footnote style can update every note at once, which is efficient, but it can also produce an unwanted result if the wrong style or selection is changed.

Troubleshooting

The footnote appears in the wrong place. Check whether you inserted an endnote instead of a footnote. On Windows, open the dialog box launcher in References > Footnotes, select Footnotes, and review the location setting. If the note is attached to the wrong sentence, cut the note text, delete the incorrectly inserted footnote using its marker, insert a new footnote at the correct cursor position, and paste the text into the new note. Word should then renumber the remaining notes.

The numbering starts over or uses the wrong symbol. Open the Footnote and Endnote dialog box and review the number format and numbering options. A section break or a changed setting may cause numbering to restart. Choose continuous numbering if that is what your instructions require. If the settings look correct but the result does not update, select the document text and press F9 on Windows to update fields, then inspect the notes again. Avoid applying a different format to only one marker unless that is required.

The note text will not fit at the bottom of the page. Word may move some text or a footnote to the next page to preserve the layout. Check for oversized paragraphs, extra blank lines, or unusually large footnote text. Remove accidental paragraph breaks and verify the required spacing before shrinking the note font. If the paper has strict page limits, consult the assignment rules rather than forcing a note to fit with tiny text or altered margins.

The shortcut does nothing, or the ribbon looks different. Use the References tab and select Insert Footnote directly. On Word for the web, the available controls can be more limited than in the desktop application; if you cannot find a setting such as numbering options, open the document in the desktop version. On Mac, use the References tab and the Mac shortcut rather than Windows keys.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Word automatically format a Chicago citation?
Word inserts the linked marker and note area, but it does not reliably compose a complete Chicago citation from your source. Enter and format the citation details yourself, or use a citation manager and verify its output against your required Chicago edition.

Should I use footnotes or endnotes?
Use whichever your assignment or publisher requests. Chicago notes and bibliography allows notes, but footnotes appear at the bottom of each page while endnotes are collected at the end of a document or section. Word lets you switch the location through the Footnote and Endnote dialog box.

Do Chicago footnotes need a bibliography?
Many notes-and-bibliography papers include one, but the requirement depends on the assignment and source types. A note and a bibliography entry use different formats. Follow the instructions you were given and do not assume that inserting notes creates a bibliography.

Can I change footnote numbering from 1, 2, 3 to symbols?
Yes. In Word for Windows, open the Footnote and Endnote dialog box from the References tab and choose a number format. Chicago papers commonly use Arabic numerals, so change the default only if your instructor, publisher, or document design calls for another format.

How do I delete a footnote without breaking the numbering?
Delete the superscript footnote marker in the main text, not just the words in the note area. Word removes the linked note and renumbers the remaining footnotes automatically. If you delete only the note text, an empty footnote marker may remain.

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