Word Remove Line From Footnote: Quick Fix

To remove the line (also called a separator) that appears above footnotes in Microsoft Word, you must edit the Footnote Separator style in the footnote pane. This guide shows you the exact steps for Word 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365, plus how to restore the line if you change your mind.

Why Word Adds a Line Above Footnotes

Word automatically draws a short horizontal line between your main text and the footnotes at the bottom of the page. This separator is not a border or a paragraph mark you can select and delete with the Backspace key. It is a built-in element controlled by a special style called Footnote Separator. The line helps readers visually distinguish the body text from the footnote area. Many users find it unnecessary or distracting, especially when footnotes are used in a document with a clean, modern design.

There are actually two related elements: the Footnote Separator (the short line) and the Footnote Continuation Separator (a longer line that appears when a footnote spills over to the next page). If you only remove the first, long footnotes will still show a line on the following page. This guide covers both.

How to Remove the Footnote Line (Step by Step)

These steps work in Word 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 on Windows. The Mac version is similar but the pane opens slightly differently.

1. Open your document in Word.
2. Click the View tab on the ribbon.
3. In the Views group, click Draft. (If you are already in Draft view, skip this step.)
4. Click the References tab.
5. In the Footnotes group, click Show Notes. A small pane opens at the bottom of the window.
6. In the pane, if you see a dropdown menu that says All Footnotes, click it and select Footnote Separator.
7. The separator line appears in the pane, selected. Press Delete or Backspace on your keyboard.
8. To also remove the continuation line, select Footnote Continuation Separator from the same dropdown and delete it.
9. Close the pane by clicking the X in its corner.

That’s it. The line is gone. The footnotes themselves remain exactly where they were.

How to Restore the Line if You Change Your Mind

If you later want the line back, repeat the same steps. When you open the footnote pane and select Footnote Separator, you’ll see the pane is empty. Instead of pressing Delete, you need to reinsert the line:

1. Place your cursor in the empty separator area in the pane.
2. On the ribbon, go to the Home tab.
3. In the Paragraph group, click the Bottom Border button (it looks like a small square with a line under it).
4. The line reappears. Close the pane.

If the border button doesn’t work, you can also type a series of underscores (_____) and press Enter, but the border method gives a cleaner, standard line.

Common Problems and Fixes

Many users try to delete the line by clicking on it in Print Layout view. That won’t work because the separator is not a normal object. Here are the most common issues and their solutions:

• “Show Notes� is greyed out. This happens when you are not in Draft view. Switch to Draft view first, then try again.
• You deleted the separator but the line still shows. Make sure you selected the correct item in the dropdown. If you only deleted the continuation separator, the main line remains. Check both.
• You can’t see the footnote pane. On a laptop with a small screen, the pane may open at the bottom but be very short. Drag the top edge of the pane upward to expand it.
• The line comes back after saving and reopening. This can happen if you are using a template that overrides the separator. Change the template or reapply the deletion after opening.
• You want the line only on some pages. Word doesn’t allow per-page separator control. You would need to split the document into sections and apply different footnote settings, but the separator is a document-wide setting, so this is not possible without manual workarounds (like using a table instead of footnotes).

Removing the Line on Word for Mac

On a Mac, the process is slightly different:

1. Go to the View menu and select Draft.
2. Click References > Show Notes.
3. A pane appears at the bottom. In the dropdown at the top of the pane, choose Footnote Separator.
4. Select the line and press Delete.

The rest is the same. Note that on Mac, the “Bottom Border� button is in the same place on the Home tab.

Alternative: Using Endnotes Instead

If you don’t need footnotes at the bottom of each page, you can convert all footnotes to endnotes (which appear at the end of the document). Endnotes also have a separator line, but it’s often less noticeable. To convert:

1. Click References > Footnote & Endnote dialog launcher (the small arrow in the corner of the Footnotes group).
2. Click Convert.
3. Choose Convert all footnotes to endnotes and click OK.

You can then remove the endnote separator using the same method as above (select Endnote Separator in the pane). This is a good option if you want a cleaner look and don’t need the convenience of footnotes on the same page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why can’t I just select the line and press Delete in normal view?
A: Because the footnote separator is not a regular text object. It is a built-in formatting element that Word only shows in the footnote pane. Trying to click it in Print Layout will just place your cursor in the footnote area.

Q: Will removing the line affect the numbering or content of my footnotes?
A: No. The separator is purely visual. Your footnotes remain numbered and placed exactly as before. The only change is that there is no horizontal line above them.

Q: Does this work in Google Docs?
A: No. Google Docs does not have a built-in way to remove the footnote separator. You would need to use a workaround like inserting a table or using a browser extension, which is not reliable. This guide is for Microsoft Word only.

Q: I deleted the separator but the line is still there when I print. What’s wrong?
A: You likely deleted only the continuation separator, or you are looking at a cached view. Make sure you selected “Footnote Separator� in the dropdown, not “Footnote Continuation Separator.� Also, try closing and reopening the document to refresh the view.

Q: Can I change the line to a different style (dashed, colored, etc.)?
A: Yes. Instead of deleting the separator, you can select it in the pane and apply a different border style using the Borders button on the Home tab. You can also change its color and thickness. This gives you full control over the look.

Q: Will this setting apply to all sections of my document?
A: Yes, the footnote separator is a document-wide setting. You cannot have different separators for different sections. If you need that, you would have to use a different method, like manually drawing a line or using a table.

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