How to Check the Word Count on Google Docs

Knowing the word count of a document is important for writers and content creators. When writing blog posts, articles, essays or any other form of content, it’s crucial to know if you are meeting the required word count.

Google Docs has a built-in word count feature that allows you to easily check the length of your documents. In this article, I will show you multiple methods to check word counts in Google Docs, both on desktop and mobile.

Check Word Count on Google Docs Desktop

Here are three easy ways to check word count on the desktop version of Google Docs:

1. Use the Tools Menu

The easiest way is to use the Tools menu:

1. Open your Google Docs document
2. Click on Tools > Word Count in the top menu bar
3. A pop-up will display the number of pages, words, characters and spaces
4. Click Done to close the pop-up

2. Use the Keyboard Shortcut

You can also use keyboard shortcuts to check word count:

• Ctrl + Shift + C (Windows)
• Command + Shift + C (Mac)

This will open up the same word count pop-up as the Tools menu method.

3. Display Word Count While Typing

To keep the word count visible as you type:

1. Click on Tools > Word Count
2. Check the box for Display word count while typing
3. The word count will now display in the bottom left corner
4. Click OK

This is useful for writing blog posts or essays with a specific word limit.

Check Word Count on Google Docs Mobile App

Checking word count on the Google Docs mobile app is also easy:

1. Open the Google Docs app
2. Open the document
3. Tap on the three dots menu in the top right
4. Select Word Count
5. The word, character and page count will display
6. Tap the back button to return to your document

Check Word Count for Selected Text

You can check the word count for only a selected portion of text:

1. Highlight the text you want to check
2. Follow any of the word count methods above
3. The pop-up will show the count for only the selected text

This allows you to check the length of specific sections.

Conclusion

Knowing the word count of Google Docs documents is useful for all writers and makes it easy to ensure you meet length requirements. Use the built-in Tools menu, handy keyboard shortcuts, or try the mobile app to quickly view word counts.

Displaying the count as you type is also an efficient way to write to a specific word limit. So next time you are writing an important document, make use of the handy Google Docs word counter.