What happens to the footnote numbers when a footnote is deleted?

When a footnote is deleted in a word processing application such as Microsoft Word, the numbering of the remaining footnotes is automatically renumbered. This automatic renumbering ensures that the footnotes maintain a coherent sequential order, allowing readers to easily follow references within the text without confusion.

For instance, if you have footnotes numbered 1, 2, and 3 and you delete footnote 2, the system updates footnote 3 to become footnote 2, preserving the logical order. This feature enhances the document's clarity and professionalism, ensuring that every reference correctly corresponds to its respective note.

Other options may suggest that the numbers remain unchanged, become invalid, or turn into endnotes, but these do not accurately reflect the automatic and systematic adjustments made by the software when a footnote is removed. Thus, the correct choice highlights the dynamic capability of the word processor to maintain order and coherence after editing.