If you’re like most people, you probably rely on Google Docs to keep track of your work and personal projects. But how do you know how much text is in a document? There’s no built-in way to check word count in Google Docs, but there are a few free tools that can help. One option is the online word counter WordCounter.com. Just enter the URL of the document in the WordCounter window, and it will show you how many words are in the document as well as how many words per line. Another option is to use a text editor like Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer and open the document in that program. Then use the “Word Count” feature to see how many words are in the document. ..


Whether an essay for school, article for a blog, or description for a product, your document’s word count might be essential. You can check the word count in Google Docs easily and in a few different ways, including a keyboard shortcut.

See the Word Count for a Document

Open the document and, if applicable, highlight the text you want to count Click Tools > Word Count and find the number labeled “Words. ” Click “OK” when you’re done to close the dialog box.

If it’s the entire document that you want the word count for, you don’t have to select anything on the page. Just go to the Tools menu and select “Word Count.”

Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows, Chromebook, and Linux or Command+Shift+C on Mac.

You’ll then see the total number of words along with other counts like pages and paragraphs. Keep in mind that this count does not include things like headers, footers, or footnotes.

Click “OK” to close the word count window. If you want the word count always visible, though, check the “Display Word Count While Typing” before clicking “OK.”

RELATED: How to Always Display the Word Count in Google Docs

Find the Word Count for Certain Text

There might be a time when you need to check the word count for only a portion of a document. Maybe it’s the introduction paragraph for an article or text for a block quote.

Select the text you want to check by dragging your cursor through it. This highlights it so you can make sure you have only the text you need. Then, use one of the actions above, either go to Tools > Word Count or use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows, Chromebook, and Linux or Command+Shift+C on Mac.

You can then see the number of words for the selected text in relation to the entire document.

Click “OK” to close the window when you finish.

Getting the word count in Google Docs for the whole document or just particular text is easy enough. If this is something you find yourself doing often, take a look at how to always display the word count in Google Docs.