How to select all footnotes in a Word document?
When working with Microsoft Word documents that contain numerous footnotes, you may find it necessary to select all footnotes at once - for example, to format them uniformly, copy them to another location, or review the referenced materials. However, using the usual Ctrl + A shortcut to select everything in the document does not include footnotes in the selection. This limitation often causes confusion or extra manual work for users who want to target just the footnotes. Fortunately, there are several practical methods you can use to quickly select all footnotes in your Word document. This guide introduces three different approaches, each suited to various situations and user preferences, with step-by-step instructions and useful tips.
Select all footnotes in a document with Ctrl + A
Select all footnotes in a document with VBA code
Select all footnotes in a document with Ctrl + A
The standard Ctrl + A hotkey usually selects all main content in your document, but does not include footnotes by default. Many users are unaware that you can apply the same shortcut within the footnote area to select all footnotes at once. This technique is especially useful when you want to apply formatting or copy all footnotes together, without affecting the body text or other elements. Here’s how to do it:
First, click to place your cursor inside any footnote in your Word document. Once the cursor is active in the footnote zone (the section at the bottom of your document page where footnotes appear), simply press the Ctrl + A keys at the same time. Word will automatically select all footnotes in the current document immediately.
Select all footnotes with matching formatting in a document with Select Text With Similar Formatting feature
Microsoft Word’s Select Text with Similar Formatting feature provides an alternative way to quickly select all footnotes, based on their consistent formatting styles. Here’s how you can use this feature:
1. Place your cursor anywhere inside a footnote you wish to select in your document.
2. On the Home tab of the Word ribbon, locate the Select button. Then click Select > Select All Text With Similar Formatting. Word will then highlight all sections in the document that share the same formatting as the footnote where your cursor is positioned.
Once this is done, all footnotes with matching formatting will be immediately selected.
Select all footnotes in a document with VBA code
If you need to select all footnotes programmatically - especially in large or complex documents - or if you want a repeatable, automated approach, using VBA code is a reliable solution. This method allows advanced users to precisely target just the footnotes, regardless of their formatting or manual adjustments. Before running VBA code, always save your document to avoid unexpected changes.
Follow these steps:
1. Open the document where you want to select all footnotes. Press Alt + F11 to launch the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.
2. In the VBA editor window, click Insert > Module. A new module will appear. Copy and paste the VBA code below into this module area. See screenshot:
VBA code: Select all footnotes in a Word document
Sub SelectAllFootnoteTexts()
Dim xDoc As Document
Dim xRange As Range
Set xDoc = ActiveDocument
If xDoc.Footnotes.Count > 0 Then
Set xRange = xDoc.Footnotes(1).Range
xRange.WholeStory
xRange.Select
End If
End Sub
3. To execute the code, press the F5 key within the VBA window. The code will automatically select all footnotes in your current document.
Important tips: Ensure that no other selection is active before you run the VBA code to avoid interruptions.
Using VBA provides flexibility for users who need to repeat this action frequently or who want to further customize the selection (such as exporting, bulk formatting, or integrating with other automated processes). If you’re new to VBA, consult Microsoft’s help or safely experiment on a copy of your file first.
Alternative VBA solution: You can also modify VBA code to select and copy all footnotes to another document or section automatically, making it suitable for advanced document editing tasks.
Related articles:
- How to add new page or text after endnotes in a Word document?
- How to convert comments to footnotes or endnotes in Microsoft Word?
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