This has happened to me. I had a large file which opened in compatibility mode. I had set the footnote continuation separator as different from the footnote separator. It worked fine. My footnotes frequently continue to the next page.




I then saved it as .docx and went on to revise it, before noticing that the footnote continuation separator, whatever I set it to, was behaving just like the footnote separator.

I still have my original .doc document, but if I go back to it I would have to make the large number of revisions I made to the .docx (some of which I can't remember).

So thank you, Microsoft, for retaining the name of a feature, allowing people to select it, but removing its functionality!

What you can do is post feedback for Microsoft. If you are running Word for Windows, click File > Feedback > Send a Frown.

For more on feedback in various versions of Office programs, see How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office?.

__________________
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional