Footnotes are commonly used in Word documents for referencing content. Using footnotes in PowerPoint isn’t as straightforward as Word documents. However, you can incorporate a footnote in PowerPoint by following the steps below.
How to Add Footnotes in PowerPoint
To add footnotes in PowerPoint templates or slide decks, you might have created from scratch, go to Insert -> Text -> Header & Footer.
Add the footnote number and text, and click Apply.
Now, add a number to the text where required (e.g., 1 at the end of a line indicating the first footnote). Select the number from within the main body text and footer text, and click the arrow icon next to the Font menu from the Home tab for advanced font and character options.
Select Superscript and define a percentage to offset the reference number for your footnote.
The below image shows an example of a footnote added in a PowerPoint slide using footer text and a footnote number in the main body text. Both the numbers in the footer and main slide body text were changed to superscript.
How to Add Multiple Footnotes in PowerPoint
To add multiple footnotes in PowerPoint, go to the added footer text and hit Enter to add a new line. Type the additional references, and make sure you also add the relevant footnote number within the main body text of the slide. Select the numbers (e.g., 2 for footnote two) and click the arrow next to the Font menu in the Home tab.
Select Superscript and an offset percentage for your footnote number.
Below is an example of two footnotes in a PowerPoint slide. You can add as many powerPoint footnotes as needed using the method described above.
FAQs
PowerPoint does not have a built-in footnote feature like Word, but you can manually add footnotes by using the Header & Footer option to insert footnote text in the footer area of your slide.
To insert a footnote, go to Insert > Text > Header & Footer, type your footnote text in the footer area, and click Apply.
After typing the footnote number at the end of the relevant text, select it, go to the Font options via Home > Font, and choose Superscript to make the number appear smaller and raised.
To add multiple footnotes, add additional lines in the footer area and label them with numbers. Add corresponding footnote numbers in the main body text of your slide, then apply Superscript to each number for consistency.
Yes, footnote text in the footer area can be customized by changing the font size, color, and style. Just select the text and use the Font options from the Home tab.
Yes, go to Insert > Header & Footer, uncheck the Footer option on the specific slide, and click Apply to remove the footnote from that slide only.
No, PowerPoint doesn’t support automatic footnote numbering, so you’ll need to manually add and number each footnote in the footer area and main body text.
Final Words
You can add footnotes in PowerPoint by adding footer text and changing the corresponding numbers to superscript. The footer text is also easily customizable, and you can adjust the text’s size, color, and position to customize it according to your requirements.
