WPS Footnotes and Endnotes helps you add notes and references in WPS Writer on macOS; this guide covers 3 core tasks, with 3 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.
At a Glance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core tasks | 3 | Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index |
| Available without membership | 3 | Matches the number of Free rows in the index |
| Membership-related items | 0 | The tasks in this guide can be used directly |
About This Feature
Overview
Footnotes and endnotes let you add extra explanations, source references, or supporting details in a document. A footnote appears at the bottom of the current page, while an endnote appears at the end of the document. In WPS Writer on macOS, you can insert footnotes or endnotes, adjust numbering and scope settings, and remove a note by deleting its reference mark in the main text.
Core tasks include:
- Insert a footnote or endnote to add supporting information where needed.
- Change footnote or endnote formatting to adjust numbering style, numbering method, and scope.
- Delete a footnote or endnote by removing its reference mark in the document body.
This feature is useful for academic writing, research reports, contracts, and long-form documents that need references or extra explanations.
System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating system | A Mac device that can run WPS Office normally |
| App version | It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office for Mac |
| Network | No constant internet connection is required for local footnote and endnote editing; internet access is needed for download, installation, and account-related actions |
| Other | Open an editable document in WPS Writer |
Download & Installation
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official download | WPS Office Free Download |
| Check after installation | Open WPS Office, launch WPS Writer, and confirm that the Footnote/Endnote entry is available on the Insert tab |
Source: WPS Download Center
Compare with Alternatives
| Dimension | WPS | Microsoft | Notion | Adobe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability Summary | Supports inserting footnotes and endnotes in a document. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page, endnotes appear at the end of the document, and numbering format and numbering method can be adjusted. | Word supports inserting footnotes and endnotes in document content. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page and endnotes appear at the end of the document. | Google Docs officially supports footnotes. Its help page explains footnotes in page-based documents, but it does not present native endnote editing in the same way. | Notion officially documents page links, block links, backlinks, and web page mentions, rather than native footnote or endnote writing tools for traditional document layout. | Acrobat focuses on PDF editing, conversion, and signing. Its official product page does not describe native footnote or endnote writing tools for document drafting. |
| WPS Advantages | Advantage: WPS brings insertion, numbering setup, and deletion-related actions into one document workflow for long-form writing. | Compared with WPS: Word supports both footnotes and endnotes, while the referenced page mainly focuses on insertion steps. | Compared with WPS: Google Docs officially highlights footnotes, but the referenced help content does not present endnotes as a built-in writing feature in the same workflow. | Compared with WPS: Notion is more focused on linked knowledge and page relationships than on traditional footnote and endnote layout in long documents. | Compared with WPS: Acrobat is more suitable for PDF processing workflows than for drafting documents with footnotes and endnotes. |
| Official Source | — | Insert footnotes and endnotes in Word | Use headers, footers, page numbers & footnotes | Links & backlinks | Adobe Acrobat |
Overall Conclusion
WPS Footnotes and Endnotes is a practical fit for long documents that need note placement, reference marks, and numbering control in one writing flow. If your main work is online page linking, knowledge organization, or PDF processing, Microsoft, Google, Notion, and Adobe each serve different document needs.
Use Cases
| No. | Scenario | Suitable for | Main challenge | How it helps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Academic citations | Students and researchers | Sources need to be marked without overloading the main text | Add references with footnotes or endnotes |
| 2 | Extra explanations in reports | Office users and editors | Long explanations can interrupt the main content | Place supporting notes at the bottom of the page or end of the document |
| 3 | Numbering control in long documents | Long-form writers | Notes may need continuous numbering or restart rules | Adjust numbering settings for footnotes or endnotes |
| 4 | Cleanup during revision | Editors and reviewers | Outdated notes need to be removed cleanly | Delete the reference mark to remove the related note automatically |
| 5 | Clause explanations in contracts | Legal and administrative users | Extra clarification is needed without breaking reading flow | Add footnotes for supporting explanations |
Membership & Benefits
Free vs WPS Premium
| Capability | Free users | WPS Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Basic footnote and endnote editing | Available | Available |
| Basic PDF features | Available | Available |
| Cloud storage | 1GB | 20GB |
| Template downloads | Limited | More benefits |
Source: WPS Office pricing page
Recommendations
| Usage scenario | Recommended plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday note insertion and document writing | Free | The footnote and endnote tasks in this guide can be used directly |
| More cloud storage and broader office benefits | WPS Premium | Suitable if you also need more storage, templates, and additional office benefits |
How to Subscribe
- WPS membership center: Subscribe now
Source: WPS Office pricing page