How to Get Word Count on Google Docs: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

To get a word count in Google Docs on a computer, open your document and choose Tools > Word count. Read the Words total in the dialog. For a running total, check Display word count while typing, then click OK. On an iPhone, iPad or Android device, open the document in the Google Docs app and choose More (three dots) > Word count.

The desktop screenshots below were captured in Chrome on Windows in September 2026. The menu, selected-text count and live counter were tested. Mac shortcuts and mobile instructions were checked against Google’s documentation.

Check the word count on a computer

1. Open the document. If it has multiple document tabs, open the tab containing the text you want to check.
2. Clear any text selection. Click in the document without highlighting words to request the normal total. A highlighted selection changes what is being counted.
3. Choose Tools > Word count. The dialog opens over your document. You can also press Ctrl + Shift + C on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command + Shift + C on a Mac.
4. Read Words. The dialog also lists characters with spaces and characters excluding spaces. In the test document, five words produced 33 characters, or 30 without spaces.
5. Click OK or Cancel to close the dialog. Opening the counter does not change your text.

Google’s keyboard shortcut reference lists the Windows, ChromeOS and Mac combinations. If a shortcut is intercepted by your browser or keyboard layout, use the Tools menu.

Count a paragraph, chapter or selected passage

1. Drag across the text you want to measure. Include the complete passage, but avoid selecting neighboring paragraphs accidentally.
2. Open Tools > Word count, or use the shortcut above.
3. Read the selection total. In our desktop test, highlighting “Meeting notes” displayed 2 of 5 under Words: two selected words out of five in the active tab.
4. Close the dialog and click in the document to remove the selection before checking the normal total again.

Keep the word count visible while typing

1. Open Tools > Word count.
2. Check Display word count while typing and click OK.
3. Look at the small counter at the lower left of the editor. Click its arrow to choose words, characters or another available statistic.
4. To remove it, open the counter’s menu and choose Hide word count.

Close the main dialog before continuing to type; the small counter is the running display. When you highlight text, the counter can show the selected passage instead. Clear the selection when you want the normal total.

Know which text the total includes

Google’s word-count documentation says the normal count excludes headers, footers and footnotes. A heading typed in the main document body is different from a page header. If an assignment requires notes to be included, check its rules and count that material separately.

If you are adding footnotes in Google Docs, keep a separate note total when required. The tested desktop dialog did not have an “include footnotes” checkbox.

Check document tabs separately

Our desktop test used two tabs in one file. The first contained “Meeting notes” and “Keep this paragraph.” and showed five words. The second contained “Three example words” and showed three. Switching tabs changed the total; it did not show eight words for the whole file.

For a manuscript spread across document tabs, check each tab and combine the totals you need. If chapters share one tab, select each chapter instead. These are document tabs inside a Google Doc, not Chrome browser tabs.

Put a word-count note in the document

1. Select the text your assignment requires you to count, so a cover page or count note does not change that measurement.
2. Open Tools > Word count and write down the Words number.
3. Close the dialog, click where the note belongs and type a label such as Word count: 1,234.
4. After your final edits, count the required passage again and update the number manually.

The live counter is part of the editor; it does not insert a printable count note into your text. The desktop dialog tested for this guide had OK and Cancel buttons, with no Copy button. For a separate progress log, record the number there instead.

Find word count in the mobile app

1. Open the Google Docs app and select your document.
2. Tap More, represented by three dots.
3. Tap Word count. Read Words, Characters and Characters excluding spaces.

For illustrated iPhone instructions, see how to check word count in the Google Docs iPhone app. That guide identifies the older device and app interface used for its screenshots.

Google documents this path for iPhone and iPad and Android. Word count is unavailable in the mobile Docs app when the file is open in Microsoft Office Compatibility Mode. These mobile steps were verified in documentation, rather than tested on a phone for this update.

Troubleshooting and common questions

Why is the total smaller than expected?

Check for highlighted text, a different active document tab, or words placed in headers, footers or footnotes. Confirm whether your requirement is a word limit or a character limit, and whether spaces count. Those are different measurements.

Where is Tools if the menu bar is hidden?

On Windows or ChromeOS, Ctrl + Shift + F toggles the compact controls. On a Mac, use Control + Shift + F. Restore the menu bar or use the word-count shortcut. Keyboard behavior can vary with language and layout.

Can Google Docs count words inside a picture?

For submission purposes, check any words shown only in screenshots or scanned pages separately. Do not assume that a normal document word total measures text embedded in an image.

Do I need an extension?

The built-in dialog and live counter cover the methods above. You can use them without installing a word-counter extension.

Why does another writing app show a different number?

Check that both apps are counting the same passage and including the same sections. If a teacher, editor or submission system specifies a particular tool, use its count for the final check.