change the default font size for footnotes

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Guest

How do I change the default font size for footnotes (ie, both the footnote
numbers and the text of the footnotes) from 10 to 12?
 
Modify the Footnote Text style. This will also affect the Footnote Reference
style (which is just the Superscript version of the Footnote Text style).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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Well they told you to modify the footnote style but not an easy way to do
this, right? For just one document first we must have a footnote go to
Insert-Reference (or footnote for win. 98 and before) right click when the
shortcut menu appears click on Style. Click the Modify button and change the
font size For existing footnotes go to View-footnotes when the footnote pane
displays right click when the shortcut menu appears click on Style. Click
the Modify button and change the font size. To do this to all documents do
the same but only with a blank document and then save it as Normal and in
file type click the drop down and find template it will ask you if you are
sure you want to replace the Normal.dot IF you are sure click yes. I don't
recommend this because all documents are based on the Normal.dot template and
if this becomes corrupted it could corrupt existing files...it's best to do
this to individual documents.

Deborah Jean
MOS Master Instructor
 
Only Word can create a proper normal.dot file. Saving a document as
normal.dot may appear to work but it is not the same.

You can change the style settings in normal.dot by clicking the add to
template check box in the format style dialog, and ensure that normal.dot is
saved at the exit prompt.

If normal.dot becomes corrupt, then it can be replaced by renaming it to
something other than normal.dot eg badnormal.dot as it may still be possible
to extract customizations from it. Word will create a new blank normal.dot.

Style used in documents will not automatically be changed by changes to
those styles in the template on which it was based - unless the
automatically update styles checkbox in tools > templates and add-ins is
selected.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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I must admit that it never occurred to me to create a new template and save
it as Normal.

But what are the differences? What problems might it cause?
 
Well you can't actually save a document as normal.dot in the user template
folder, as Word would be using the normal.dot lock file - but if you save it
in another folder and replace normal.dot with it, you lose a variety of the
default settings provided with Word, including (for example) the autotext
entries.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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Do not save an altered document as normal.dot.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


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from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
Just modify your styles. I assume that by "default" you mean you want the
modified font for footnotes and footnote numbers to be in every new document
you create from your Normal.dot template from now on. If you are not
familiar with templates, don't worry: any new blank document you open, such
as bly clicking on the New Blank Document icon, uses the Normal.dot
template. Open a New Blank Document or a document you have already created
from scratch that way, create a footnote (or go to one if you have any in
your document) and put your cursor in the text of the footnote. Open the
styles menu (Format, Styles & Formatting) and the the Styles & Formatting
window will open. The style for footnotes is Footnote Text and the style
for the footnote number is Footnote Reference. The Footnote Text style
should appear in a little box at the top of the Styles & Formatting window.
Right-click on Footnote Text and select Modify, Format, Font and make your
changes. If you want to style changes to be "permanent" until later change
your mind add a checkmark in the box Add to Template. Do the same for any
other styles you want to change, such as Footnote Reference. If you don't
see an entry for Footnote Reference "select" your footnote number and you
should now see it in that little box at the top of the Styles & Formatting
window and can make the same sorts of changes. If Word asks you if you want
to same the changes you just made to Normal.dot, answer Yes, but see the
caveats below.

A further word: Word may not show Footnote Text and Footnote Reference or a
few other styles in the list of styles even if your documetn has footnotes .
You can change that if you want to, but it is not necessary--the little box
at the top of the window will always show the style where you have the
cursor even if itis notin the list. Here's how. With the Styles &
Formatting window open go to the box at the bottom marked Show. Using the
triangle go to Custom and the Format Settings window will open. Scroll down
through the list of "default" styles to the one you want to show and insert
a checkmark. Also check Save Settings in Template and OK your way out. Any
styles checked this way will now show up in the list for any future
documents, including your current document.

Caveats: Generally it is not a good idea to check Automatically Update in
the Modify Style window. Also, when Word closes it may ask you if you want
to save the changes to Normal.dot or the global template. If you did not
make any changes to the template during that session of using Word, click
No. This sometimes happens if you accidentally start Word twice or if some
other program is running Word. Clicking Yes in these circumstances will
create a lot of problems for you. Only save such changes if you made them!

Hope this helps.
 
Postscript: My comments about Word letting you decide which styles to
display by putting checkmarks next to them is probably good only for Word
2003.
 
I have read all the post and they didn't really help me. Everytime I insert a
footnote reference number in the body of the document (that is, not in the
footnote section in the footer), it is set to 9 font size. But, I want it to
be 11 font size every time I insert a footnote. I cannot find any way to do
this. Change the footnote style does not affect the default size (9 point)
when I insert a footnote. So, how do I do this? Thanks.
 
The Footnote Reference style is a character style that is defined as Default
Paragraph Font + Superscript. That means that the reference will be the same
font and font size as the one you're using at the insertion point, but
superscripted. You can change the Footnote Reference style to be explicitly
9 points, but I wouldn't advise it.
 
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