How to Check Word Count in Google Docs, Word, PDF & Online (Free)

If you write essays, blog posts, assignments or client work, you need to know your word count. Almost every piece of writing has a limit: a 500-word essay, a 1,000-word article, a 280-character post. The good news is that checking your word count takes only a few seconds, once you know where to look. Knowing how to check word count in Google Docs is especially useful, because Docs is where most essays and blog posts start.

In this guide, you will learn how to check word count in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, PDF files and online with a free word counter. Every method below is free, works in 2026, and takes less than a minute.

How to Check Word Count in Google Docs

Google Docs has a built-in word counter. It shows words, pages, characters with spaces and characters without spaces. Here is how to check word count in Google Docs, step by step. For the official steps, see Google Docs help.

Method 1: The Tools menu (desktop)

1. Open your document in Google Docs.
2. Click Tools in the top menu.
3. Click Word count.
4. A small window opens. It shows pages, words, characters with spaces and characters without spaces.
5. Click Done to close it.

This is the simplest way to learn how to check word count in Google Docs on a computer, and it works in every browser.

Method 2: The keyboard shortcut

If you want to know how to check word count in Google Docs quickly, use the shortcut instead of the menu:

• Windows: Ctrl + Shift + C
• Mac: Command + Shift + C

The word count window opens instantly. Press Escape to close it and keep writing.

Method 3: Show a live word count while you type

Google Docs can show a live word count in the bottom-left corner of your screen while you write. It updates every time you add or delete a word, so you never have to open the popup again.

To turn it on:

1. Open Tools > Word count.
2. Tick Display word count while typing.
3. Click OK.

A small box appears at the bottom-left. Click it to switch between pages, words, characters and characters without spaces.

This live counter is the best option when you are writing toward a target, for example a 1,500-word blog post or a 500-word assignment, and you already know how to check word count in Google Docs. You can watch your progress without stopping to open the word count window.

Method 4: Count only one paragraph or section

You do not have to count the whole document. This is how to check word count in Google Docs for one paragraph or section only:

1. Highlight the text you want to count.
2. Open Tools > Word count.
3. The window shows two numbers: the count for your selection, and the count for the whole document.

How to check word count in Google Docs on mobile

On the Google Docs app for Android, iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the document.
2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Word count.

You will see words and characters for the document. One thing to remember: Google Docs word count covers the main body of the document. Headers, footers and footnotes are not included in the default whole-document count.

What if the word count does not show in Google Docs?

If the live counter disappears, open Tools > Word count again and tick “Display word count while typing”. Once you know how to check word count in Google Docs, the live counter is easy to turn back on. If the shortcut does not work, check that your keyboard layout is set to English, and that no browser extension is using Ctrl + Shift + C. In a shared document, the counter still works the same way, because learning how to check word count in Google Docs does not depend on who owns the document.

How to Check Word Count in Google Docs for Shared Documents

Learning how to check word count in Google Docs for a shared document takes less than a minute. Shared documents work exactly the same as your own documents. Open the shared document, then use Tools > Word count or press Ctrl + Shift + C (Windows) or Command + Shift + C (Mac). You do not need edit access to see the count — viewers can check it too.

There are two things to watch for in a shared document. First, comments and suggested edits are not counted in the main word count, so the number you see is for the body text only. Second, if someone is editing at the same time as you, the count updates as they type, so check it again just before you submit your work. That is why knowing how to check word count in Google Docs is so useful for group assignments and team documents: everyone can check the same number in seconds.

If you are working on a group assignment with a strict limit, agree on one counting method with your team before you start. The simplest rule is for everyone to use the built-in counter, because learning how to check word count in Google Docs is the same for the whole team.

How to Check Word Count in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word also counts words automatically, and it shows the count live as you type.

Word for Windows

Look at the status bar at the bottom of the window. It shows something like “1,250 words”. If you do not see it, right-click the status bar and tick Word Count.

Click the word count in the status bar to open a full box with pages, words, characters with and without spaces, paragraphs and lines. To count one section only, highlight the text first: the status bar then shows the count for the selection, for example “120 of 1,250 words”.

Word for Mac

Open your document and look at the bottom-left of the window. The word count is shown there. Click it to open the full word count box with characters, paragraphs and lines.

Word Online

Word for the web also shows a live word count. Open your document in Word Online and look at the status bar at the bottom of the window. Click the word count to see characters, paragraphs and lines. The steps are almost the same as in the desktop app, and the count is the same for the same document.

If you switch between Word Online and Google Docs, remember that the steps for how to check word count in Google Docs are different — in Docs, use Tools > Word count or Ctrl + Shift + C — but both programs count the same words in almost the same way. Once you know how to check word count in Google Docs, switching to Word Online feels familiar, because the count is always in the same place — the status bar.

Word count in Word vs Google Docs

Word counts can differ slightly between Word and Google Docs for the exact same text. Each program has its own rules for what counts as a word, for example how it treats hyphenated words and numbers. The difference is usually tiny, but if a limit is strict (for example a 650-word college essay), check your count in the program your reader or teacher will use. The steps for how to check word count in Google Docs are different from Word’s status bar, but both programs give the same total for most documents.

How to Count Words in a PDF

PDF files do not have a built-in word counter like Word or Google Docs, so you need one extra step. Here are the three easiest ways to count words in a PDF.

1. Convert the PDF to Word, then count. Upload your PDF to a free PDF to Word converter, open the Word file, and read the count in the status bar. This is the most accurate method for long documents.

2. Copy and paste the text. Open the PDF, select all the text (Ctrl + A), copy it (Ctrl + C) and paste it into a word counter or a blank Google Doc. This is fast, but scanned PDFs will not let you select text.

3. Use an online word counter. Paste the text into a free online word counter and see the count instantly, with characters, sentences and reading time included. For scanned PDFs, run OCR first to turn the scanned pages into selectable text, then copy it into the counter.

If you work with PDFs often, keep a PDF to Word converter and a word counter bookmarked together. The pair covers almost every file you will meet.

On a phone or tablet, the easiest way to count words in a PDF is to open the PDF in a PDF app, copy the text, and paste it into an online word counter in your browser. If the PDF is scanned, use an OCR app first to turn the pages into text. Always check the pasted text before you trust the count: a missing page or a badly scanned line can change the total by a lot.

How to Count Words Online for Free

An online word counter is the fastest option when your text is not in Word or Google Docs: an email draft, a social media caption, a PDF, a plain text file or a web form.

1. Open the free Word Counter tool.
2. Type or paste your text into the box.
3. Your word count, character count, sentence count and reading time update instantly as you type.

There is no signup, no upload and nothing to install. Everything runs in your browser, so your text never leaves your device. The tool also has a character limit checker, which is useful for posts with strict limits: X posts (280 characters), meta descriptions (around 160 characters) and text messages.

Use an online word counter when you need a quick answer for text that lives outside a document, or when you want characters, sentences and reading time in one place. If you already know how to check word count in Google Docs, an online counter is the next-fastest option for text that is not in a document.

Word Count in Google Docs vs Word vs Online Tools

The right method depends on where your text lives. If it is already in Docs or Word, use the built-in counter. If it is anywhere else, an online word counter is quicker than opening a document app. If your text is in Docs, learning how to check word count in Google Docs is the fastest place to start — it is built in, free and always up to date.

What Counts as a Word?

Most counters, including Google Docs and Word, follow the same basic rules:

• A word is a run of letters or numbers separated by spaces or punctuation.
• Hyphenated words such as “well-known” and contractions such as “don’t” usually count as one word.
• Numbers count as words. Dates such as “November 6, 2026” count as three words.
• Punctuation on its own does not count.

That is why two tools can disagree by a few words on the same text. For school or client work, a difference of a few words almost never matters. What matters is staying clearly inside the limit.

How Many Words Should You Write?

Word count targets work best as ranges tied to what you are writing:

• Blog post: 800–1,500 words
• Short essay: 500–800 words
• Long essay: 1,000–2,000 words
• College application essay: 250–650 words
• Resume: 400–700 words
• Product description: 100–300 words

Short-form writing has its own limits too. A social media caption is often 100–300 words, an email subject line is measured in characters rather than words, and a meta description is about 155–160 characters. For those, a character counter is more useful than a word counter — but the habit is the same: check before you publish, not after.

For blog posts and articles, longer is not automatically better. A 500-word page can outrank a 3,000-word page when it answers the question better. Write enough to cover the topic fully, then stop. Use a word counter to check you hit your target, not to pad your text.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to check word count in Google Docs?

Open your document, click Tools > Word count, or press Ctrl + Shift + C (Windows) or Command + Shift + C (Mac). Tick “Display word count while typing” to keep a live counter on screen. That is how to check word count in Google Docs on desktop and Mac. For the official steps, see Google Docs help.

How do I check character count in Google Docs?

The same word count window shows characters with spaces and characters without spaces. On mobile, open the document, tap the three dots and tap Word count. Once you know how to check word count in Google Docs, the character count is in the same window.

Can I count words in a PDF for free?

Yes. Convert the PDF to Word and check the count in Word, or copy the text into a free online word counter. For scanned PDFs, use OCR first so the text becomes selectable.

Does Google Docs count words differently from Word?

Yes, sometimes by a few words. Each program has slightly different rules for hyphenated words and numbers. The difference is small and rarely matters.

Does Google Docs count words in comments and footnotes?

No. The word count in Google Docs covers the main body of the document only. Comments, footnotes, headers and footers are not included in the default count, so a document with long comments can have a higher total word count than the counter shows. To check the body text, use the usual steps for how to check word count in Google Docs.

How do I check word count in Google Docs without a mouse?

Press Ctrl + Shift + C on Windows or Command + Shift + C on Mac to open the word count window, then press Escape to close it. That keyboard shortcut is the fastest way to learn how to check word count in Google Docs without reaching for your mouse, and it works in every browser.

What is a good free word counter?

A good free word counter counts words, characters, sentences and reading time instantly, with no signup and no upload. The Word Counter on this site does exactly that, right in your browser.

How long does it take to read 1,000 words?

At the average adult reading speed of about 200 words per minute, 1,000 words take about 5 minutes to read.

Conclusion

Now you know how to check word count in Google Docs, in Word, in a PDF and online. Checking your word count is easy once you know the shortcut. In Google Docs, press Ctrl + Shift + C (or Command + Shift + C on Mac). In Word, glance at the status bar. For a PDF, convert it or paste the text into an online counter. And for any text that is not in a document, use a free word counter and get words, characters, sentences and reading time in one second.

Bookmark this guide and the word counter tool, so the next time you need to know how to check word count in Google Docs, you can check your count before you submit, not after.

Related tools on this site: Word Counter · PDF to Word · Merge PDF