Somehow, I doubt you've actually unlinked the Section footers; your description suggests not. I've used Word for 25+years and have never encountered such behaviour, nor is it one I recall seeing documented elsewhere. I trust you're aware that unlinking Headers, for example, doesn't unlink footers and that each Section has three headers and footers - primary, first page and even, the linking of each of which is independent of the others.

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Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]