Staying under the prescribed word count can be a challenging task. For example, if you are writing a 500-word marketing pitch in Google Docs (you're probably using your sleek new Chromebook), the question arises: How do you know when you've reached the mark? Do you count each word one by one? Do you guess an average for each line and then count the lines? That's too much work.

Keeping the word count in check ensures your content conveys the desired information within the prescribed word limit. Google Docs, a popular Workspace product, provides a live word count feature. Let's go through the steps to figure out how many words you entered in Google Docs.

Count words in a web browser

Using one of the Google Docs keyboard shortcuts is the simplest way to open the word count in Google Docs on your browser.

  • On a Mac, press + Shift + C.
  • On a Windows PC or a Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + C.

These commands open a pop-up window that displays the number of pages, words, characters, and characters excluding spaces in your document.

Google Docs word count window

You can also access word count through the menu:

  1. Navigate to the menu bar at the top of your Google Doc document.
  2. Select the Tools option.
  3. Click Word Count.
    Google Docs Tools menu highlighting the Word count option
  4. If you want to keep track of your words as you type, select the Display word count while typing checkbox.
    Google Docs Word count window highlighting the Display word count while typing option
  5. A small box appears in the lower-left corner of the document window with a running count of your words. Click the triangle to the right of the word count to get the page, word, and character counts from the pop-up window.
    Google Docs running word count window with its expanded display open

Extensions and add-ons that count words

If this functionality isn't enough, you can always fall back on third-party software. These come in two basic flavors: browser extensions and add-ons.

Word Counter Max

The Word Counter Max add-on is available from the Google Workspace Marketplace. You can set a word count target for your writing or choose a session word count to keep track of how many words you put down in a day. In addition, you can specify the types of words to be excluded from the count. If, for example, you're writing a screenplay with lots of directions and notes, customize Word Counter Max to exclude those words from the final count, giving you a word count of only the text.

Even though this is a Google Docs add-on and not a browser extension, it doesn't appear to work on Firefox, but it does work on Chrome and Edge.

Google Docs Word Counter Max add-on open and running

Reverse Word Count

The Reverse Word Count Chrome extension lets you set a target word count. It hijacks your Google Docs and overwrites its built-in word count display. To use it, follow these steps:

  1. Click the icon for the extension at the top of the screen.
  2. Enter your target number of words.
    word limit input for Reverse Word Count Chrome extension being used with Google Docs
  3. Click Submit.
    Reverse Word Count display in Google Docs

You may have to fiddle with some extension settings to get it to work, but it does a good job in a very focused niche once it's running.

Count me up

If you use Firefox, opt for Count me up, as it is a cross-browser extension. To view the word count, select the paragraph, right click, and check the word count. It auto-updates the word count on text selection, and there are different views that show the word count, for example, in the side menu, the right-click pop-up, or the extension. It provides a minimal interface and shows the word count in dark mode. You can also use the extension in your language since it supports 52 languages.

The Count me up Google Doc word count extention.

Count words in the Google Docs mobile app

The word count is also available on the mobile versions of Google Docs (Android and iOS). To access it, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the app.
  2. Tap Word count.

A pop-up window appears in the upper-right corner. The only difference between the mobile app and the browser app is the omission of the page count on mobile. This is true even if you switch to the print layout.

Count a portion of the words in Google Docs

Counting the number of words in an entire document is useful, but it's not always what you want. Scientific writing, for example, often leads with an abstract that has a maximum (or minimum) word count. Counting the words in a portion of your document is a trivial matter.

Partial word count in the browser app

  1. Highlight the text you want to check the word count by clicking and dragging.
  2. If the word count is visible, it updates in real time.
    highlighted text in Google Docs with a partial word count in the lower-left corner
  3. If the word count isn't visible, open the word count window with either the keyboard shortcut (+ Shift + C or Ctrl + Shift + C) or the menu (Tools > Word count).
    Word count window in Google Docs showing a partial word count

Partial word count in the mobile app

  1. Highlight the text you want to check the word count of.
  2. You must be in Edit mode to highlight text on the mobile app. Touch the pencil icon in the lower-right corner to access it.
  3. Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the screen.
  4. Select Word count.

What's in a word?

What counts as a word in Google Docs? Google Docs isn't always intuitive when it comes to word count. Any group of letters surrounded by a space counts as a word. However, word processors typically count compounds as a single word. For example, the phrase "easy-to-use feature" counts as two words. Groups of letters separated by a period also count as words, so Google Docs counts "AndroidPolice.com" as two words and "1.2 million" as three words. The same applies to letters separated by the plus sign: "Ctrl+Shift+C" is three words.

The word count feature lets you stay within the word limits, allowing you to delete the extra fluff in Google Docs. Now that you know how to count words in Google Docs, connect with your colleagues using Google Meet and let them know about this nifty feature.