Want to see how many words you wrote? Follow these steps to display the word count in Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
If you use Google Docs or Microsoft Word to write, seeing how many words you wrote will be really helpful. For example, a visible word count in Google Docs or Microsoft Word is useful for tracking your progress or confirming whether you’ve met a specific word count requirement.
In this quick and simple guide, I will show the steps to display the word count in Google Docs and configure Microsoft Word to always display Word Count in the status bar. Let’s get started.
Display Word Count in Google Docs
By default, Google Docs automatically tracks the number of words, characters, and pages internally but doesn’t display them to the user. However, you can use the top menu or a keyboard shortcut to view the word count in Google Docs. Here’s how.
First, open a Google Doc and then follow the steps below.
Keyboard shortcut: Press “Ctrl + Shift + C” to display the word count in Google Docs. It is displayed in the bottom left corner.
Using top menus: Select the “Tools” option in the Menu bar and click the “Word Count” option. It instantly displays your word count.
Note: If you don’t see the Menu bar, click the “Show the menus” (down arrow) icon in the top-right corner of the document.
If you want to always see the word count, select the “Display word count while typing” checkbox in the “Word Count” dialog and click “OK“.
Display Word Count in Microsoft Word
By default, Microsoft Word displays the word count to the left of the bottom status bar. However, if it is not visible, all you have to do is select an option to display it. Here’s how.
- Open any Word document by double-clicking the file.
- Once it opens, you will see the status bar and the bottom.
- Right-click on the status bar.
- Select the “Word Count” option.
- With that, the word count is displayed to the left of the bottom status bar.
That is all. It is that simple to display the word count in Microsoft Word and Google Docs. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
