As a writer, keeping track of your word count is an important part of the writing process. Whether you need to hit a specific target word count for an article, stay within a word limit for a school paper, or estimate how long a document will take to read, the word count tool in Microsoft Word makes it easy to get an accurate count.
I often use the word count feature when writing blog posts or articles to ensure I hit the ideal length. It only takes a couple clicks to get the handy metrics like word count character count and page count. Here’s how it works in the desktop, web, and mobile versions of Word so you can check your document length no matter where you’re writing.
Checking Word Count on Word for Desktop
The desktop version of Microsoft Word has always made it simple to see your word count statistics. Here are the steps:
- Open the Word document you want to check.
- Click on the Review tab in the ribbon at the top.
- On the far left you’ll see the Word Count tool. Click on it.
A pop-up box will appear with the full word count details
- Words – The number of words in the document.
- Characters (no spaces) – The number of characters not including spaces.
- Characters (with spaces) – The number of characters including spaces.
- Paragraphs – The number of paragraphs.
- Lines – The number of lines.
- Pages – The number of pages using the current formatting.
If you don’t want to click the Word Count tool each time, you can also view the live Word Count in the bottom left corner of the Word window. This will show the number of pages, words, and characters as you type or edit the document.
Finding Word Count for Selected Text
You can also use the Word Count tool to check the metrics for only a portion of your document
- Highlight the text you want to get the count for.
- Click the Word Count button in the Review tab.
The pop-up will show the statistics just for the selected text. This is handy for checking word count for a specific chapter or section rather than the full document.
The status bar at the bottom will also display the live count for only the selected text as you have it highlighted.
Checking Word Count in Word Online
The Word Online web app makes it just as easy to access your word count statistics:
- Open the document in Word Online.
- Click the Review tab.
- Click Word Count on the left side.
This will open the familiar pop-up with the word, character, paragraph, line, and page count.
The Word Online status bar also shows the live metrics that update as you type and edit your text in the cloud-based app.
Using Word Count on Mobile Word Apps
Microsoft Word’s mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows phones include the handy Word Count tool as well:
On iPhone/iPad:
- Tap the Review tab at the top.
- Tap the Word Count icon on the left side.
On Android:
- Tap the Edit menu.
- Tap Home > Review > Word Count.
On Windows Phone:
- Tap the … icon at the top right.
- Tap Word Count.
The Word Count window will open showing the key statistics like word count, character count, and page count for the document.
You can also highlight a section of text to view the metrics just for the selected portion.
Why Word Count Matters
Knowing your document’s word count is useful for:
-
Meeting article word count guidelines – Publications often specify a target word count or range for articles and submissions. The Word Count tool lets you see if you need to add or cut content.
-
Optimizing blog post length – Blog posts between 1,000-2,000 words tend to perform best for SEO. Checking the count lets you hit the right length.
-
Estimating reading time – Readers appreciate knowing how long it will take to read content. Word count helps estimate reading time.
-
Formatting documents – If you need to fit an essay or paper into a set number of pages, the Word Count page metrics help format it properly.
-
Cutting content – If you need to shorten a document like a proposal or report, checking the current count makes it easy to trim words.
Tips for Accurate Word Counting
Here are some tips to ensure you get an accurate word count in Microsoft Word:
-
The Word Count tool excludes footnotes and endnotes from the total word count.
-
Headers, footers, and text inside text boxes are also not included in the count.
-
To count text in headers, footers, text boxes, etc., copy and paste it into the main document body before checking.
-
The word count may vary slightly between the status bar live count and the Word Count window. The window provides the most precise count.
-
For the most accurate count, do a final Word Count check after you finish writing and editing the document.
Checking your Microsoft Word document’s word count is a snap. Whether you’re working in Word on your desktop, the mobile app, or the web-based app, the handy Word Count tool is just a click away. Use it to optimize your writing for SEO, fit content into page limits, or estimate reading time. Just remember headers, footnotes, and text boxes won’t be included in the count.
Keeping an eye on your word count as you write will help boost your productivity. No more wondering if you hit the target length for an article or trimmed enough words from a report. The Word Count feature provides instant insight so you can confidently create documents that are the perfect length.
You Might Also Like
Co-authored by:
1. Open the document. 2. Find the word count at the bottom-left corner. 3. Click the word count for more info. 4. Highlight a section to see the word count for that section.
StepsMethod
- Question How do I select the area to word count in Word 2016?
Community Answer Highlight the passage; it should show the word count. - Question When I am in the header area, Word will not show me a word count. What can I do?
Community Answer Select all of the words in the header and the word count for the words you highlighted will be displayed in the word count box on the status bar. - Question I dont see Word Count in the lower left corner. Why not? Community Answer Right click on the status bar and click on “Word Count” so that it has a tick next to it.
- On Word for PC/Mac, make sure the Microsoft Word window is fully maximized. Otherwise, the window can be moved within your viewable area, and the Word Count in the lower portion of the document could be hidden. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
- To ensure the word count is always visible in your documents, select View from the Preferences menu in the upper left corner of your Mac or PC. The check the box to the left of “Live Word Count.” Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Check your word count in Microsoft Word
How do I Check my Word Count?
To view the word count for a specific section of text, select the text with your cursor, and then look at the bottom-left corner of the window. Depending on what you’re working on, such as an essay for a school assignment, you may have a specific word count you must reach (or not exceed).
How to count words in word?
Right-click on the status bar in Word and untick Word Count. Right-click on the status bar again and tick-mark Word Count. If you want to count words for multiple documents, you can merge your documents together and Word will show the word count for all your documents.
How do I check word count on Mac?
In Word for Mac, select the word count in the status bar. This displays the number of words, characters, lines, and more. The status bar displays the word count of the entire document unless you select a part of the text. In this case, the count for the selected text displays.
How does word count work?
When you select text, word count for the selected text should appear in the Status Bar on the bottom left of your screen automatically: If no text is selected, the count shows the total for the entire document. If you double-click the word count in the Status Bar, the Word Count dialog box appears.
