How to Check Word Count in Google Docs?

• Use the Tools menu on desktop
  Open your Google Docs file, click Tools, then select Word count to see pages, words, and characters (with spaces).
• Open word count faster
  Press Command + Shift + C (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + C (Windows or Chromebook)—or paste into our free word counter for a quick second check.
• Track word count as you write
  In Tools → Word count, check Display word count while typing to show a live count in the lower-left corner.
• Count selected text only
  Highlight a paragraph or section, then open Word count to see selected words plus the document total.
• Check count on mobile
  In the Google Docs app (iPhone, iPad, or Android), tap the three-dot menu and select Word count.

To view the total word count of a document, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Docs and open your document.
2. From the top menu bar, click Tools.
3. Select Word count.
4. The total number of pages, words, and characters appears in a pop-up box.
5. Click OK or Done to close the window.

I tried these steps in Google Docs on desktop to make sure they are easy to follow. This is the simplest option when you only need the count from time to time. For the same workflow in Microsoft Word, see our Word count in Microsoft Word guide.

Google Docs also offers a keyboard shortcut when you want a quick count while writing or editing—without opening the Tools menu.

For Windows or Chromebook: Ctrl + Shift + C
For Mac: Command + Shift + C

This opens the word count box directly—a handy word count button for drafts, essays, and SEO articles.

The Google Docs word count tool usually displays:

• Pages
• Words
• Characters
• Characters excluding spaces

Google's help information indicates that when no specific section is selected, word count applies to the body of the document and excludes headers, footers, and footnotes unless you select that text manually.

To see the word count while you type—useful for essays, blog posts, and assignments with a target length:

1. Open your Google Docs document.
2. Click Tools.
3. Select Word count.
4. Check the box that says Display word count while typing.
5. Click OK.

A small word count box appears in the lower-left corner. Click it to view pages, characters, and characters without spaces without reopening the dialog each time.

You can count only a paragraph, section, sentence, or highlighted passage—useful for introductions, abstracts, conclusions, meta descriptions, or chapter sections.

1. Select the text you want to count.
2. Click Tools.
3. Select Word count.
4. Google Docs shows the selected word count along with the total document count (for example, 45 of 350 words).

Word count is available in the Google Docs app on Android, iPhone, and iPad:

1. Open the Google Docs app.
2. Open the document you want to check.
3. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner.
4. Select Word count.
5. Review words, characters, and characters without spaces.

The mobile app is convenient on the go, though live word count while typing is easier to enable on desktop.

1. Open the Google Docs app.
2. Tap your document.
3. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.
4. Choose Word count.

Steps are very similar on iPad.

1. Open the Google Docs app.
2. Open your document.
3. Tap the three-dot menu.
4. Tap Word count.

This works on most Android phones and tablets with the official Google Docs app.

Many types of writing depend on length limits, including:

• School essays and college assignments
• Blog posts and SEO articles
• Research papers and reports
• Manuscripts and grant proposals
• Cover letters and social captions
• Website content and marketing copy

A built-in word count helps you avoid submitting content that is too short or too long. For pasted drafts or plain text, our free website word counter can double-check totals alongside Google Docs.

Google Docs does not automatically include words in headers, footers, or footnotes in the main count unless you select text in those areas. If nothing is selected, the count typically applies to the document body only.

That matters for academic papers, legal documents, and formatted reports where important text lives in footnotes or headers—select those regions before opening Word count if they must count toward your limit.

Yes. Google Docs shows both Characters and Characters excluding spaces—useful for meta descriptions, social posts, forms, abstracts, and platforms with character limits.

Open Tools → Word count or use the keyboard shortcut. When you enable live word count, click the lower-left box to see character totals without reopening the dialog.

Google Docs does not offer one counter for multiple open documents at the same time. Open each file separately, or combine text into a single document if you need one combined total. For long projects, keeping chapters in one organized file can make tracking easier.

For most writing, the built-in Google Docs counter is fastest and keeps your work in one place. External tools help when you need extras Google Docs does not provide, such as:

• Keyword density
• Reading time estimates
• Sentence length analysis
• Readability scores
• Paragraph counts

For straightforward word, character, and page counts, Google Docs is usually enough. Use our free word counter when you need a second opinion on pasted text.

Full citations are available in Sources below.