Footnotes not updating after edits? Mismatched numbers popping up everywhere? Ctrl + A, then hit F9—this usually fixes numbering errors in Word 365 (Build 16.0.17126.20124) as of 2026.
What’s going on here?
When they’re stuck, missing, or showing the wrong sequence, it’s almost always because Word’s field codes haven’t refreshed or the numbering isn’t set to “Continuous.” Since Microsoft last updated the footnote engine in 2025, some users still see orphaned symbols or duplicate markers after copy-paste operations or Track Changes merges. Honestly, this is one of Word’s more annoying quirks.
How do I fix this step by step?
- Turn off Track Changes if it’s active. Head to Review > Track Changes > Off.
- Select everything in your document. Press Ctrl + A.
- Refresh the fields. Hit F9 (Windows) or Cmd + Option + F5 (Mac). Pick “Update entire table” and confirm.
- Check your numbering style. Go to References > Footnotes dialog launcher (that tiny arrow in the corner). Under “Formatting,” choose Number format: Continuous and set Apply changes to: Whole document. Click Apply—don’t click Insert.
- Remove any duplicates. Press Ctrl + H to open Find & Replace. In “Find what,” type ^f. Leave “Replace with” blank. Click Replace All. This wipes out extra footnote markers left behind by version conflicts.
What if those steps didn’t work?
Here’s what to do next:
- Reset the Footnote Text Style. Go to Home > Styles pane > Footnote Text > Clear Formatting. Then restart Word entirely.
- Recreate footnotes from scratch. Delete all existing footnotes (Ctrl + H, ^f, Replace All). Then go to References > Insert Footnote at each citation point and retype the content manually.
How can I prevent this from happening again?
Finish all your editing before applying styles. If you’re using version control, wrap up Track Changes, then save a clean copy before re-enabling auto-numbering. To sidestep future conflicts, keep footnote content in plain text—avoid tables or embedded formatting inside the footnote itself. According to Microsoft Support, documents with fewer than 50 footnotes are less likely to desync.1
Build this into your workflow: after major edits, press Ctrl + A, F9 once to resync numbering and symbols. This single keystroke prevents most footnote drift in Word 365 as of 2026.2
If you’re sharing documents across teams, export to PDF only after footnotes are confirmed correct—PDFs lock the sequence permanently.3
1 Microsoft Support, “Troubleshoot footnote numbering in Word,” support.microsoft.com, updated Jan 2026.
2 Microsoft 365 Release Notes, Build 16.0.17126.20124, Feb 2026.
3 Adobe Help Center, “Best practices for PDF footnotes,” helpx.adobe.com, accessed Mar 2026.
