How to change the footnote numbers in Microsoft Word

Many Zotero users use Zotero to insert footnotes into their documents and then wonder how they can customise the footnote numbering style. It is often assumed that this setting must be made directly in Zotero. However, it is actually a Microsoft Word function that controls the numbering of footnotes. In this article, I will explain how you can customise the footnote numbering in Word according to your wishes, independently of Zotero.

This allows you to change the numbering of your footnotes:

  1. First open the tab ’References‘ in the menu.
  2. Then click on the small arrow in the bottom right-hand corner of the ‘Footnotes’ group. This opens the dialogue box ’Footnote and endnote“.
  3. Make sure that the ‘Footnotes’ option is selected.
  4. In the ‘Number format’ field, you can now select how the footnote numbers should look.

To apply the settings, click on ‘Apply’. If you want to insert the current footnote at the position of your cursor, click on ‘Insert’ instead.

Dialogfeld Fuß- und Endnote in Microsoft Word zur Anpassung der Nummerierung

With these simple steps, you can customise the footnote numbering to suit your needs, whether in a single section or across the entire document, the format of the numbering and more.

Weitere typische Fragen zu Word und Zotero findest du in meinem Blog.


Further reading

Blog - Theisen Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten
Scientific work according to Theisen Citation style: widely used, but often modified
The Theisen citation style is standard at many universities, but deviations in the guidelines often lead to uncertainties. Find out more about this topic in this blog.
Blog - Changing the font of the Zotero bibliography
How to change the font of Zotero bibliographies in Word and LibreOffice
Learn how to set the font of Zotero bibliographies and footnotes in Word or LibreOffice. A compact guide for a professional document layout.
APA vs university Of Manchester - Harvard citation styles in Zotero
Harvard citation style at the University of Manchester: How to automate your citations in Zotero
The University of Manchester has its own Harvard guidelines, which differ from other Manchester styles in the Zotero Style Repository. In this post, you’ll find out what matters and how a specially developed CSL citation style can save you days of formatting work.
Blog - Custom workflow for document registers with scripts for zotero - a case study
Complex Zotero workflow automation: a client case study
How a non-profit organisation automated their citation workflow with Zotero - a case study

© Citation Styler. All rights reserved. 2026