Removing Line Numbers

[Merk]

I have a 240-page document that was created with line numbers using a footer text box. I need to remove the line numbers from the entire document. However, when I delete the text box in the footer, it only removes the line numbers from one page and, in effect, creates a new footer to continue the line numbering in subsequent pages. Is there a way to delete these line numbers throughout the entire document or am I stuck doing this page-by-page? (I am using Word 2016.)

Thanks for your help!

Merk

 

[macropod]

From your description, it seems that each page was created as a separate Section. In that case, you should be able to fix all except for a single footer with a simple Find/Replace, where:
Find = ^12
Replace = ^12
which will change all Section breaks to ordinary page breaks. If you use:
Find = ^12
Replace = nothing
the deleted Section breaks won't be replaced and the text will automatically flow correctly throughout the document.

If there's a residual line numbering text box in the footer, there should only be that solitary one to delete.

 

[Merk]

That would seem logical, except each page is not a separate section. When I delete the line numbers from one page, a new section appears on the subsequent page, and the line numbers remain.

For instance, the document, as currently formatted, has 3 sections. I deleted the footer text box in sections 1 and 2 without a problem. When I did the same in section 3, a section 4 appeared with the text box still intact. When I adjusted the footer in section 4, a new section 5 appeared. This repeats ad nauseum. I fear I will have to continue the process across each of the 240 pages to get it the way I want.

 

[macropod]

Did you at least try the Find/Replace???

 

[Merk]

I did but could not get it to work. I ultimately copied the text and pasted it into a new document. That required some formatting work to get me back to where I wanted to be, but it eliminated the main problem. Thanks for your help.