Gaps between footnotes

Question

I am using Word for Mac 2011. version 14. 2. 2. Between a few footnotes on certain pages there is a space which I cannot get rid off. I have tried using the Format paragraph tab which clearly says 0 spacing before and after, and I have ticked the box specifying don't add space between paragraphs of the same style.

What to do?

Answer 1

When you're troubleshooting Word, it's always useful to visit Word>Preferences>View and check All in the Nonprinting characters section. OK out and you'll be able to see any hidden formatting.

You can also try adjusting the style settings for Footnote Text. Just click on a footnote, then select Format>Style from the Word menu. The Footer Text style will be selected by default. In the Modify Style dialog, click on the Format button, then on Paragraph. Style formatting gets to every instance of a given style, not just the ones you were able to select.

Since you have already applied local formatting to your footnotes, you'll probably want to select them and reapply the Footnote Text style to them, or style updates will have no effect.

Answer 2

Is this a typo: "...version 14. 2. 2"? If not, you're more than 3 years behind... v14.5.3 is the current version. I'd suggest you first verify your version, update as necessary (14.5.3 can be directly applied to 14.1.0 or later), then run disk Utility to repair disk permissions followed by a Restart of your Mac.

I don't know that doing so will resolve the issue, but at least it will level the field -- it's pointless to chase symptoms if the software is that far out of date.

If the issue persists please provide as much additional detail as possible, including whether this is the case with many files or limited to 1 in particular. A screen shot also may be helpful but providing a link to a shared copy of the file would be even better :-)