- Inserting a Google Docs footnote on a computer
- A keyboard shortcut for footnotes in Google Docs
- Putting footnotes into the Google Docs app on your phone
- Footnotes in a pageless Google Docs file
- Writing good footnotes in Google Docs
- Editing and checking a Google Docs footnote
- Footnote or link in Google Docs: which should you use?
- If you can't add a footnote in Google Docs
- Frequently asked questions
To add footnotes in Google Docs, click where the note should appear, then choose Insert, Page elements, Footnote and type your text. The shortcut is Ctrl + Alt + f on Windows or Cmd + Option + f on a Mac. In pageless documents, all footnotes collect at the end.
A footnote lets you add a source, a clarification or a side thought without cluttering the sentence. Reports, white papers, essays and long client guides all lean on them. The nice thing in Google Docs is that the numbering looks after itself: add one in the middle and the rest renumber.
The feature lives under the Insert menu, with a shortcut if you prefer keys, and it works a little differently on your phone and in pageless documents. Here's the lot, following Google's own help.
Inserting a Google Docs footnote on a computer
- Click in the text exactly where the footnote marker should appear, usually just after a word or at the end of a sentence.
- Open Insert, then Page elements.
- Click Footnote.
- Type your note in the footnote area at the bottom of the page.
Docs places a small number in your text and a matching number at the foot of the page. Click back into the main text to carry on writing.
A keyboard shortcut for footnotes in Google Docs
Google lists a shortcut for this. On Windows or Chrome OS it's Ctrl + Alt + f, and on a Mac it's Cmd + Option + f. If you're citing sources as you draft, the shortcut keeps you in flow because you never leave the keyboard.
A good rhythm is to write the sentence, press the shortcut, type the source and carry on. You can tidy wording later.
Putting footnotes into the Google Docs app on your phone
Google's mobile help for Android and for iPhone and iPad follows the same pattern:
- Open your document in the Docs app.
- Tap the editing icon.
- Tap the spot where the footnote should go.
- Tap Insert, then choose Footnote.
- Type the footnote text.
To view the footnotes, open the More menu and turn on Print Layout, which Google says is needed to see them on mobile.
Footnotes in a pageless Google Docs file
Pageless documents have no page feet, so the footnotes need a different home. Google says that in a pageless document the footnotes all appear together at the end of the document. That's fine for a web-style page, but not what you'd want for a printed report.
If you want footnotes at the bottom of each page, switch to pages format. Go to File, then Page setup, select Pages at the top and click OK, or use Format and choose Switch to Pages format.
Writing good footnotes in Google Docs
A footnote is a quiet place for detail, so keep each one short. A few habits help:
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- Use footnotes for sources, definitions and brief asides, and keep the argument in the main text.
- Say what the source is in a few words, so a reader can find it again.
- Keep your style consistent. If one note ends with a full stop, they all should.
- Don't hide anything important down there that your reader needs to understand the point.
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Editing and checking a Google Docs footnote
To change a note, click into its text at the foot of the page and edit it as normal. To remove one, delete the small marker number in the main text, and the matching note disappears with it. Numbers adjust automatically, so there's no manual renumbering.
I couldn't find a Google help page describing footnote deletion step by step, so check your own file after you remove one. Scroll through and make sure the remaining notes still match the text they belong to.
Footnote or link in Google Docs: which should you use?
| You want to | Better option |
|---|---|
| Cite a source in a printed report | A footnote |
| Point a reader to a web page in an online document | A link in the text |
| Add a short definition | A footnote |
| Add a long explanation | A paragraph or a section |
| Cite sources in a pageless document | A footnote, which collects at the end |
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If you can't add a footnote in Google Docs
- Make sure your cursor is in the main text, not inside a header, footer or table cell that doesn't allow it.
- Check the Insert menu, then Page elements, for the Footnote option.
- Try the shortcut if the menu is slow.
- On mobile, switch Print Layout on if you can't see the footnotes.
- Switch to pages format if you expected the notes at the bottom of each page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a footnote in Google Docs?
Click where the marker should go, then choose Insert, Page elements, Footnote and type your note. The shortcut is Ctrl + Alt + f on Windows or Cmd + Option + f on a Mac.
How do I add a footnote on the Google Docs app?
Tap the editing icon, tap where the footnote should go, tap Insert, choose Footnote and type the text. Turn on Print Layout from More to view them.
Why are my footnotes all at the end of the document?
Google says that in pageless documents all the footnotes appear together at the end. Switch to pages format to get them at the foot of each page.
Do Google Docs footnotes renumber automatically?
Yes, the numbers adjust as you add or remove notes, so you don't renumber by hand.
How do I delete a footnote?
Delete the footnote marker in the main text and the matching note goes with it. Google's help doesn't give separate deletion steps, so check your file afterwards.
