If this is a footnote separator, you can delete it as follows: On the View tab, click Draft. Then click Show Notes on the References tab. In the footnotes pane, choose Footnote Separator in the drop down. Select and delete the content. You can do the same for Footnote Continuation Separator.



However, if you really deleted all the footnotes, you shouldn't see the footnote area at all. Are you sure that you selected the footnote reference in the main body of the document and deleted it properly?

__________________
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional