How to insert notes in Word

How to insert notes in a Word document

Be vuoi scoprire how to insert notes in a Word document acting from the classic desktop version of the Microsoft program, via Word Online or via the official Word app for smartphones and tablets, continue reading: you will find all the appropriate instructions below.

How to insert notes in Word on PC

How to insert notes in Word

If you want to learn how to insert notes in word acting from the classic desktop version of the program for Windows and macOS, the first step you need to take is to start Word by selecting the relevant link that you find in the Start menu di Windows or in Launchpad di MacOS.



Once the main program screen is displayed, open the document you want to act on, selecting it from the recent ones in the section Home of the software, or among the files saved on your computer or on OneDrive, choosing the element of your interest from the section apri. Next, place the Word cursor in the position where you want the first reference to the information in the footer to appear.

At this point, select the tab References from the toolbar at the top and click on the button Insert footnote. Then type the footnote to show at the point of the selected document and that's it.

Repeat the operation for each note you want to insert in your file and you will have all the information at the footer numbered and automatically linked to the points of the selected Word sheet.

If you are a lover of keyboard shortcuts, you can also insert new footnotes into your document by navigating to the place on the sheet where you want to insert the note and pressing the key combination Alt + Ctrl + F (its Windows) oppure option + command + f (on macOS) on your computer keyboard.



After inserting the footnotes, you can also change their numbering type (for example using Roman numbering) and position within the file, moving it to the end of the text they refer to or to the last page of the document .

To customize these and other parameters of the notes entered in Word, select the tab References from the program toolbar and click on the button in the shape of arrow placed next to the wording Footnotes.

In the window that opens, you can change the position of the notes in the document using the drop-down menu Footnotes or by clicking on the button Converted (in this case, the notes are transformed into endnotes and moved to the end of the document), you can change the type of note numbering via the menu Number format and you can choose from which number to start the numbering of the same by setting a value in the field It starts with.

How to insert notes in Word

The changes have immediate effect on all notes previously inserted in the document. Furthermore, using the appropriate buttons on the tab References In Word, you can switch from one note to another with one click and automatically display the content of the footnotes without manually searching for it in the pages of the document. Better than this?

Do you want to insert notes in Word to report changes and corrections to be made to a document? In this case you can use the function to enter i Comments, which, in fact, allows you to add comments to specific parts of a document and thus indicate changes and corrections to be made in the latter. This is an extremely useful tool when you are working with other people and want to report changes to be made (or made) to the file.



To add a comment note in Word, select the portion of text you want to “comment”, go to the tab revision of the program, click on the button Post comments which is located in the top center and then on the item New comment from the menu that opens. After doing this, a box will appear on the right where you can write your comment.

How to insert notes in Word

Repeat, therefore, the operation with all the parts of the document of your interest. Those who have the task of reviewing the document will be able to add notes in turn or respond directly to your comments by clicking on the appropriate button in the comments box.

If Word does not automatically show the comments present in a document, to solve, you have to go to the tab revision program, click on the button Post comments and on the voice Show comments present in the menu that appears.

How to insert notes in Word Online

How to insert notes in Word

Now let's see how to insert notes in Word using the online version of the application, which can be used directly from the browser without installing additional software. To use it, go to its home page and log into your Microsoft account (if necessary).

Once you have logged in, open the document you are interested in taking action, selecting it from those already loaded in the past or pressing on the item to load a new document (top right). Once the text editor screen is displayed, click where in the document you want to insert your note, then select the tab References present at the top and click on the item Insert footnote from the menu located at the top of the screen.


After completing the above steps, type the note to be shown in the footer in the appropriate field that you see appearing below. Then repeat these steps for all the notes you intend to insert within the document.


You can also customize the footnotes you have entered, by changing the font type and size, by clicking on them, then on the button Footnote format in the box that appears below and acting on the menus Character in the window that opens. To apply the changes to the single note, click on the button Apply, while to apply the changes to all the notes press the button Apply to all.

If you are interested in inserting endnotes, instead, click on the item Insert endnote that you always find in the top menu, in the tab References, type the note in the appropriate field that appears below and you're done. Then repeat these steps for all the endnotes you want to insert. If you want, I would like to point out that even in this case you can apply customizations to the characters by pressing the button Endnote format.

How to insert notes in Word

If this is of interest to you, I would like to point out that you can immediately view all the footnotes and closing notes present in the document by expanding the options attached to the card menu References, by clicking on down arrow that you find at the top right and then selecting the captions respectively Show footnotes e Show endnotes that you find at the top left.

To enter comments, instead, proceed as follows: select the portion of text you are interested in, select the tab revision and click sul pulsating New comment found on the menu located at the top of the screen. Then type your comment in the box that you see appear on the right and click on the button with thepaper airplane to be able to save it. Then repeat these steps for all parts of the document to be commented on.

How to insert notes in Word

If after being entered, the comments are not automatically displayed in Word, to be able to consult them, click on the button Show comments that you find in the card menu revision And that's it.

How to insert notes in Word on smartphones and tablets

How to insert notes in Word

Footnote, endnote, and comment features are also available in versions of Word for smartphones and tablets, usable in the form of apps for Android and iOS / iPadOS (free on devices up to 10.1 ″, otherwise they require a Microsoft 365 subscription starting from 7 euros / month).

To use the app in question, start it and open the document in relation to which you are interested in going to act, selecting it from the section Home or by pressing on the icon folder, at the bottom right, and taking it from the files on your device or OneDrive.

Once the document is displayed, to insert a footnote, tap in the point of the file of your interest, press the button (...) located at the bottom right and select the option Inserisci from the menu on the left. If you are using a tablet, go directly to the tab Inserisciby selecting the appropriate item at the top.

At this point, tap on the option Footnote and type your note in the field provided. Then repeat the steps I just indicated for each footnote you want to insert in the document.

I also inform you that, if you want, you can make any customizations to the notes using the formatting tools that you see appear at the bottom of the screen after selecting them.

You can follow the same procedure that I have just indicated for the closing notes. The only difference is that after opening the menu or tab Inserisci, you have to tap on the option Ending note present at the bottom of the screen.

As I told you, even in the case of Word for smartphones and tablets it is possible to insert comments. To do this, do this: select the portion of text to "comment", go to the menu or tab Inserisci, proceeding as I have already explained to you, and then tap on the option Comment.

Therefore, type your comment in the appropriate text field and press the button with thepaper airplane to insert it. Later, you can view the comments entered simply by selecting the relevant portion of text.

How to insert notes in Word

If you cannot see the comments in the text, if you are using a smartphone, tap the button (...) and select the item revision in the menu on the left, while if you are using a tablet go directly to the tab revision from the top of the screen. Next, tap on the option View for review and choose the item All comments (embedded) give the menu check if you press.

How to insert bibliographic notes in Word

How to insert notes in Word

Let us now how to insert bibliographic notes in Word. In that case, however, please note that this is a feature only available on the desktop version of the famous Microsoft video writing program.

So, what you have to do, after starting Word on your PC or your Mac and having opened the document in relation to which you are interested in going to act, is to place the cursor at the end of the text you want to quote, select the tab Reference at the top and choose the quote style you prefer from the menu Style, which you find at the top of the screen.

Successively click on your button Insert quote always present at the top, choose the option Add new source from the menu that opens and fill in the fields in the new window that appears on the screen with the information relating to the source of your interest, then press the button OK and the quote will be inserted immediately.

How to insert notes in Word

If you want, you can insert further citations using the data already entered, positioning the Word cursor in the point of the document you prefer, clicking on the button Insert quote and choosing the reference source from the menu that is shown to you.

To make changes to inserted citations by, for example, adding page numbers if you are citing a book, select the citation, then click the button with the arrow that you find in its correspondence, choose the option Edit quote from the menu that appears and intervene through the new window that is shown on the screen.

To create a bibliography using the sources cited in the document, instead, proceed as follows: move the mouse pointer to the point of the document you are interested in, select the tab References From the top of the Word window, click on the menu References and choose one of the formats available from the latter.

How to insert notes in Word

If you need to change the sources of your bibliographic notes, you can do so by clicking on the button Manage sources that you always find at the top of the card References Word and then taking advantage of the options and menus in the new window that is shown on the screen.

How to insert notes in Word

add a comment of How to insert notes in Word
Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.