Why does Microsoft make footnotes so difficult in the online platform?!

Question

Why would Microsoft not allow footnotes to appear in the online version of Word? I would like nothing more for this issue to be resolved. I realized in the Word application that the footnotes are at the bottom of the page, easy to edit and add to. The online version is just so difficult to work with. My Mac cannot support the Word application anymore, so I'm curious if this issue is going to be resolved.

Answer 1

Nobody in the forum can tell you why Microsoft makes certain design decisions.

Generally, though, the free web browser apps are less capable than a full version of Word which is running on a Mac or PC. My guess is that this won't change any time soon.

You can send feedback regarding footnotes in Word on the web via Help > Feedback and/or via the portal at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/forum/fb6d67e3-301c-ec11-b6e7-0022481f8472.

Answer 2

I would not expect it to be resolved.

The desktop applications, by their nature, have access to a lot more power than the ones run through a browser.

My opinions on various Word offerings in a pdf.

Answer 3

Nobody here knows why Microsoft does what it does or doesn't do what it doesn't do, because nobody here is employed by or represents Microsoft.

Microsoft's goal for the online (subscription) version of Office is to make it at least as feature-filled as the downloadable version, if not more so, because ultimately Microsoft wants us to use online apps exclusively. The downloadable apps have been developed over decades so you can't expect the online versions to be as capable right now. Microsoft is making great strides, but it's going to take time.