The automatic update setting you're interested in is found under Developer|Document Template>Template>Automatically update document styles. That said, the document attached to your post doesn't have that option checked.

The fundamental problems with your footnotes are three-fold:
1. Someone has overridden the line spacing on some in which the 'Footnote Text' Style is correctly applied with double spacing;
2. Your footnotes have empty paragraphs between them; and
3. Someone has replaced the 'Footnote Text' Style for some footnotes with the 'Normal' Style - which has single spacing applied.

Your document's last paragraph is even formatted in a user-defined Style named 'footnote tex'!




You really do need to learn how to use Styles properly, as they are at the heart of how Word works. See:
https://shaunakelly.com/word/styles/stylesms.html
http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm
https://www.word-tips.com/microsoft-word-styles/

To fix your footnotes, click on any of them, then press Ctrl-A, which will select all footnotes. Then apply the 'Footnote Text' Style to all footnotes and set the paragraph line spacing to Single. Next, go through all the footnotes and delete any paragraphs separating them (you'll need to select the second-last paragraph break in each footnote, not the last one).

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've gotten part way through the long explanation of styles. I have two follow-up questions.
1. Somehow, I've made Word not show the style boxes or drop-down arrow anymore. I can't see a way to get it back in the options. How do I get it back?
2. You say I should update footnotes with Footnote Text. Now that I've changed things some, what should the values for Footnote text be? What do I link it with? I tried Endnote text but that didn't help. When I could see the drop-down for styles, I saw Endnote Text but did not see Footnote Text anywhere in the long list. Where might I find this?


Thanks.


KDuncan

Your profile indicates you are using Office 2007. If that is true, you do not have a customize the ribbon option. You do have Customize the QAT.

Try starting Word in Safe mode. That should get you the Quick Styles back.

Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC - Microsoft Office


Otherwise, you can put the attached template into your Word Startup Folder and it will give you icons in your QAT to launch the Styles Pane and to organize styles. It adds the following to your QAT.





Launch the Styles Pane and then click on Option (bottom right). Tell Word you want to see all styles in alphabetical order.




If you can't find Footnote text, click on the Manage Styles button (third one on bottom) and tell Word you want to be able to see that style. Click on the Show button.

Attached Files

StylesQATAdd-In.zip (100.6 KB, 9 views)

Yes, but the first post in the thread also says:

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]