How to Check Word Count in Google Docs
The Google Docs word count is two clicks away in the Tools menu, or one shortcut away once you know the keys. This guide covers the menu path, the keyboard shortcut, the counter that stays on screen while you type, and the parts of a document the total leaves out.
Example of the counter: menu path, dialog rows and the docked total.
Open the word count from the Tools menu
In an open document, the counter lives behind the Tools menu: choose Tools, then Word count. A dialog reports the number of pages, words, characters, and characters excluding spaces for the whole document. Nothing is selected in this view, so the numbers describe the entire file. The dialog is a panel rather than a page, so closing it with Escape or the close button changes nothing in the document itself.
The keyboard shortcut for the word count dialog
The same dialog opens with a shortcut that skips the menu: Ctrl and Shift and C on Windows and ChromeOS, and Command and Shift and C on a Mac. The letter is C for count, and the shortcut works while the cursor is in the document body, so you can check the total mid-sentence without reaching for the mouse. On a keyboard layout where C is not the third key of that combination, the Tools menu always stays available.
Keep the word count on screen while you type
Inside the dialog there is a checkbox labelled Display word count while typing. Tick it and a small counter stays docked at the bottom left of the editing area and updates as you write, which is the usual way to watch a word budget without reopening the panel. Click that docked counter at any time to bring the full dialog back. The setting belongs to the document session: after closing and reopening the document you tick the box again to get the counter back.
What the Google Docs word count includes
The counter covers the text of the document body. Headers, footers and footnotes are not part of that total, so a document with a long footnote block or a footer with a legal notice reports fewer words than a reader might expect. Text inside a text box, a drawing or an image is left out as well, which is the usual reason a page of text boxes looks longer than the number suggests. Table cell text sits in the body, so it is included.
Count a selection instead of the whole document
Select a paragraph, a chapter or a single section and open the word count again: the dialog keeps the document totals and adds a second line with the figures for the selected text. This is the quickest way to check the length of one section of a report, or to see how many words a passage contributes before you move it. Clear the selection and the dialog returns to document-only figures.
Fixing a count that looks wrong
When a count does not match another tool, the usual causes are scope and word splitting. Scope: footnotes, headers and footers sit outside the body total, while a copy and paste into another editor may include them. Splitting: hyphenated compounds, URLs and abbreviations are counted by the rules of the editor you are in, so two tools can disagree on the same text. Check the selection figures first, then compare the same text in both tools rather than the whole file.
When the built-in counter is not enough
The built-in tool covers the common cases: a total, a selection count, and a live counter. Workflows that need more, such as per-paragraph counts, readability scores or a count across many documents, use an add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace or an external text tool. Add-ons run with access to the document, so review what an add-on asks for before installing it, and remove it when the job is done.
Counting words outside a document
Not every word count starts in Google Docs. If the text is a converted table or a JSON payload, count the fields before you paste anything: the JSON to CSV converter on this site reports records and columns, and the CSV to JSON converter does the same in the other direction. Paste the text into a document only once the shape is right, then use the Tools menu or the shortcut described above for the final number.
Working with converted data before you count words? See the JSON to CSV converter.
Frequently asked questions
How to check word count on Google Docs
Open the document, choose Tools in the menu bar, then Word count. The dialog lists pages, words, characters and characters excluding spaces for the whole document. Close it when you are done; the document text is not changed by opening or closing the counter.
How to show the word count on Google Docs while typing
Open the word count dialog and tick Display word count while typing. A counter then stays docked at the bottom left of the editing area and updates as you write. Click that counter to reopen the full dialog, and tick the box again after reopening the document, because the setting does not persist between sessions.
How to see word count on Google Docs with a shortcut
Press Ctrl and Shift and C on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command and Shift and C on a Mac, while the cursor is in the document body. The word count dialog opens straight away, which is faster than walking the Tools menu when you check the total often.
What does the word count on Google Docs include?
The total covers the body text of the document, including text in tables. Headers, footers and footnotes are not included, and neither is any text inside an image, so a document with a long footnote block reports a smaller number than the visible page suggests.
How to see the word count in Google Docs for part of a document
Select the text you want to measure and open the word count again. The dialog keeps the document totals and adds the figures for the selection, which is the quickest way to check one chapter or one section without splitting the file.
Does the word count in Google Docs include text boxes and drawings?
No. The counter reads the body text of the document, so text placed inside a text box, a drawing or an image is left out of the total, and so are headers, footers and footnotes. If part of your document lives in a text box, count it separately and add it to the body figure yourself.
How to check the word count on Google Docs before submitting a report
Select the section you are checking, open the dialog and read the selection line, then clear the selection and read the document total. Note what is excluded, since footnotes and headers do not count, and make sure the limit you are working to was measured the same way the reviewer measures it.
How to find the word count on Google Docs on a Mac or Chromebook
The dialog is the same on every desktop platform; only the shortcut differs. On a Mac it is Command and Shift and C, on Windows and ChromeOS it is Ctrl and Shift and C, and the Tools menu path is identical on all three, so the counter is always two clicks away when a keyboard combination does not work.