Paste legal text with out-of-order footnote numbers and renumber them sequentially. Free, no sign-up.
What this tool does
Legal drafts accumulate footnote chaos: a deleted paragraph leaves a gap, a pasted section brings its own numbering, and suddenly footnote 14 follows footnote 9. Readers and courts notice. This numberer scans pasted text for footnote markers in [n] form, renumbers them strictly in order of first appearance, and lists the old-to-new mapping so you can update any cross-references in your notes.
Why it matters
Good citations do quiet work. They let a reader find every source you used, they show that your argument rests on real evidence rather than memory, and they protect you: a clean reference list is much harder to challenge than a vague one. Most marks lost on referencing are not lost on difficult sources. They are lost on small, repeated slips — a missing year, a swapped initial, a title in the wrong case — that a quick tool pass catches before submission.
How to use it
- Paste the text with [n] footnote markers.
- Click Renumber.
- Copy the renumbered text and the mapping.
Worked example
‘See Smith[7] and Jones[3], then Smith again[7].’ becomes ‘See Smith[1] and Jones[2], then Smith again[1].’ with mapping ‘7 → 1, 3 → 2’. Repeated markers keep the same new number, as they should.
Tips for good results
Renumber after your last structural edit. Every moved paragraph after renumbering creates fresh gaps.
Work from the source itself, not from another paper’s copy of it. And keep one style for the whole list: a single mixed entry undermines an otherwise perfect bibliography.
Honest limits
Only [n] markers are renumbered; superscript numbers typed as plain text, symbols, and footnotes stored in a word processor’s footnote system are not touched. If your document uses Word footnotes, renumber inside Word instead and use this tool for pasted drafts.
Common mistakes to avoid
Common mistakes to avoid: copying a reference from another paper without checking it against the original, trusting a PDF filename for the title or year, and mixing two styles in one list. Each of these looks harmless alone and careless together. Run the tool, read its output once, and compare it with the source itself before you paste it into your document.
Before you submit
Run through this short check before you submit: is every author name spelled as it appears on the source, is every year present and correct, and does every in-text citation have a matching entry in your reference list? Read the list once from top to bottom rather than skimming it. Most referencing errors are found in that single slow read, and fixing them there is far cheaper than fixing them after a reviewer finds them. If one entry still looks odd after that read, check it against the original source before you change anything else.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool really free?
Yes. It runs in your browser on this page, with no account and no payment. Nothing you paste leaves your computer.
Do I still need to check the result?
Yes, once. Tools apply rules; they cannot verify facts about your source. Compare the output with the source itself before submitting.
Can I use the output in my paper?
Yes. The output is a formatted reference or analysis for your own work. Keep the source’s facts accurate and the formatting consistent across your list.
What if the tool’s output differs from my style guide?
Trust the style guide. Tools encode the common rules of a style; your university or journal’s own sheet wins every disagreement. Use the tool to do the routine work, then apply the local rule where it differs.
Also available in Spanish: Numerador Automático de Notas Legales – Renumera Notas Legales en Orden Gratis.