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How to Get Word and Character Counts in Google Docs

Google Docs is a popular word processing software that makes it easy to create, edit, and collaborate on documents online. One useful feature it offers is the ability to view word and character counts for your documents. This can be helpful when writing essays, articles, books, and other materials with specific length requirements.

In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through the various methods to check word and character counts in Google Docs, both on desktop and mobile.

Checking Word and Character Count on Google Docs Desktop

There are a few easy ways to check word and character counts when using Google Docs on a desktop or laptop computer.

Using the Word Count Tool

The easiest way is to use the Word Count tool located in the Tools menu:

  1. Open the Google Docs document you want to check.
  2. Click on Tools > Word Count in the top menu. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C (Windows) or ⌘+Shift+C (Mac).
  3. A pop-up will display the number of pages, words, characters (with spaces), and characters (without spaces) in the document.

Word count pop-up in Google Docs

You can also check the box for “Display word count while typing” if you want a running word count displayed in the bottom left corner as you type.

Using Google Docs Add-ons

If you want the word count permanently visible on the side of your document, you can install the Better Word Count add-on:

  1. Click on Add-ons > Get add-ons in the top menu.
  2. Search for “Better Word Count” and click “+ FREE” to add it.
  3. When prompted, click Allow to give the add-on permission to run.
  4. To activate, click Add-ons > Better Word Count > Open Sidebar when viewing your document. This will display a sidebar with the word count.

Checking Selected Text

To check the word or character count for only a portion of text:

  1. Highlight the text you want to check by clicking and dragging over it.
  2. Follow the same steps to access the Word Count tool above. It will now only display metrics for the selected text.

Checking Word and Character Count on Google Docs Mobile

You can also easily access word and character counts when editing Google Docs documents on your mobile device:

On Android

  1. Open the Google Docs app and select the document.
  2. Tap on the three-dot menu in the top right corner.
  3. Choose Word count from the menu.

On iPhone/iPad

  1. Open the Google Docs app and select the document.
  2. Tap on the three-line menu in the top right corner.
  3. Select Word count.

A pop-up will appear displaying the number of words and characters in your document.

Conclusion

I hope this guide has helped explain the various methods available to check word and character counts within Google Docs. Whether writing an article, book, report, or any other document, having visibility into your length and metrics can be extremely helpful.

Let me know if you have any other questions! With over 10 years of writing experience, I’m happy to provide any advice or assistance.

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