4 Methods to Remove Footnote or Endnote Separator in Your Word Document

In this post, we would like to share with you 4 methods to remove footnote or endnote separator in your Word document.

If you ever insert a footnote or endnote into document, you will find there is always a horizontal line over the texts. This separator marks out the footnote or endnote area clearly. Yet, some people may find it annoying and would like to get rid of it. This article will provide you with 4 methods to do so.

Method 1: Remove Footnote Separator Manually

1. Firstly, click “View” tab then click “Draft” view.
2. Next click “References” and then click “Show Notes” in “Footnotes” area.
3. Now if your document contains both footnotes and endnotes, then there will be a box popping up. Choose to view either footnote or endnote area, then click “OK”. Now let’s choose “View footnote area” first.
4. A note pane shall open at the bottom of the screen. Click the drop-down button to select “Footnote Separator”.
5. Then click to have the separator in selection. Press either “Backspace” or “Delete” to remove the separator.
6. And choose “Footnote Continuation Separator” then and delete it as well.
7. When you get rid of the separator, there will be a blank line left which you can’t delete directly. Here we come up with a workaround. Endure the “Footnote Separator” is chosen.
8. Then click “Home” tab and click the arrow button in “Paragraph” group to open the same name dialog box.
9. Choose “Multiple” for “Line spacing”, set the value at “0.06” and click “OK”.
10. Now the height of the blank line is reduced to the least. You can change the view back to “Print Layout”.

Check the result bellow:

Method 2: Remove Endnote Separator Manually

1. Repeat first 3 steps in method 1 but choose “View endnote area” this time in “Show Notes” box.
2. In the note pane open at the bottom, choose “Endnote Separator” and select the separator. Then delete it.
3. Next choose “Endnote Continuation Separator” and select the separator and delete it.
4. Then choose “Endnote Separator” again by clicking the drop-down button.
5. And repeat from step 8 to 10 in method 1.

Here is the result:

Method 3: Remove Footnote Separator by Running Macro

1. To begin with, press “Alt+ F11” to trigger the VBA editor in Word.
2. Next click “Normal” then “Insert” tab.
3. And choose “Module” next.
4. Then double click to open it and paste the macro there:

Sub DeleteTheFootnoteSeparator()

  If ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneNone Then
    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdNormalView
  Else
    ActiveWindow.View.Type = wdNormalView
  End If
 
  If ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdPrintView Or ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdWebView Or _
    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdPrintPreview Then
    ActiveWindow.View.SeekView = wdSeekFootnotes
  Else
    ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneFootnotes
  End If
 
  '  Delete the footnote separator. 
  ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneFootnoteSeparator
  Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
  Selection.TypeBackspace
  Selection.TypeBackspace
 
  '  Eliminate the blank line after deleting the footnote separator.
  With Selection.ParagraphFormat
    .LineSpacingRule = wdLineSpaceMultiple
    .LineSpacing = LinesToPoints(0.06)
  End With

  '  Delete the footnote continuation separator. 
  ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneFootnoteContinuationSeparator
  Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
  Selection.TypeBackspace
  Selection.TypeBackspace

  '  Eliminate the blank line after deleting the footnote continuation separator. 
  With Selection.ParagraphFormat
    .LineSpacingRule = wdLineSpaceMultiple
    .LineSpacing = LinesToPoints(0.06)
  End With
 
  If ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneNone Then
    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdPrintView
  Else
    ActiveWindow.View.Type = wdPrintView
  End If
End Sub

5. Click “Run”.

The macro shall remove all footnote separators automatically and minimize the blank line left as well.

Method 4: Remove Endnote Separator by Running Macro

Follow the exact steps in method 3 to install and run a macro. Only, replace codes with these ones:

Sub DeleteTheEndnoteSeparator()

  If ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneNone Then
    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdNormalView
  Else
    ActiveWindow.View.Type = wdNormalView
  End If
 
  If ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdPrintView Or ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdWebView Or _
    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdPrintPreview Then
    ActiveWindow.View.SeekView = wdSeekEndnotes
  Else
    ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneEndnotes
  End If
 
  '  Delete the endnote separator.
  ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneEndnoteSeparator
  Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
  Selection.TypeBackspace
  Selection.TypeBackspace
 
  '  Eliminate the blank line after deleting the endnote separator.
  With Selection.ParagraphFormat
    .LineSpacingRule = wdLineSpaceMultiple
    .LineSpacing = LinesToPoints(0.06)
  End With
 
  '  Delete the endnote continuation separator. 
  ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneEndnoteContinuationSeparator
  Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
  Selection.TypeBackspace
  Selection.TypeBackspace

  '  Eliminate the blank line after deleting the endnote continuation separator. 
  With Selection.ParagraphFormat
    .LineSpacingRule = wdLineSpaceMultiple
    .LineSpacing = LinesToPoints(0.06)
  End With
  If ActiveWindow.View.SplitSpecial = wdPaneNone Then
    ActiveWindow.ActivePane.View.Type = wdPrintView
  Else
    ActiveWindow.View.Type = wdPrintView
  End If
End Sub

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Author Introduction:

Vera Chen is a data recovery expert in DataNumen, Inc., which is the world leader in data recovery technologies, including repair xls and pdf repair software products. For more information visit www.datanumen.com