"Counting Words in Google Docs: A Step-by-Step "

Read Time:9 Minute, 11 Second

Counting Words in Google Docs

Google Docs is a popular word processing tool used by millions of users worldwide. It’s a great platform for creating and editing documents, collaborating with team members, and sharing files with others. One of the key features of Google Docs is the ability to count the number of words in a document. Whether you’re a writer, student, or professional, word count can be an important metric to track. In this guide, we’ll show you how to count words in Google Docs.

Step 1: Open the Document

The first step to counting words in Google Docs is to open the document you want to check. You can do this by opening Google Drive, selecting the document, and double-clicking on it. Alternatively, you can open Google Docs and select the document from the list of recent documents.

Step 2: Select the Text

Next, you need to select the text you want to count. You can select the entire document by clicking on the “Edit” menu and selecting “Select all.” Alternatively, you can select a specific section of the document by clicking and dragging the mouse over the text you want to count.

Step 3: Check the Word Count

Once you have selected the text, you can check the word count by clicking on the “Tools” menu and selecting “Word count.” A pop-up window will appear that shows you the number of words, pages, characters (with and without spaces), and characters (excluding spaces) in the selected text.

Step 4: Customize the Word Count

Google Docs allows you to customize the word count to fit your needs. To do this, click on the “Tools” menu and select “Word count.” In the pop-up window, you’ll see a checkbox next to “Include footnotes and endnotes.” If you have footnotes or endnotes in your document that you want to count, make sure this checkbox is selected. If not, uncheck it.

You can also select whether you want to count words, characters (with and without spaces), or pages. To change the setting, click on the drop-down menu next to “Word count” and select the option you want.

Step 5: Check the Word Count for the Entire Document

If you want to check the word count for the entire document, you can do so by clicking on the “Tools” menu and selecting “Word count.” In the pop-up window, you’ll see a checkbox next to “Include text boxes, footnotes, and endnotes.” If you want to count all the text in the document, make sure this checkbox is selected. If not, uncheck it.

Step 6: Track Changes in Word Count

If you are collaborating with others on a document, you may want to track changes in the word count. Google Docs makes this easy by showing you the word count at different stages of the editing process. To see the word count for each revision, click on the “File” menu and select “Version history” and then “See version history.” You’ll be able to see the word count for each version of the document.

Step 7: Use Add-ons

Google Docs also offers a number of add-ons that can help you count words in different ways. For example, the “Word Counter Plus” add-on lets you count the number of words, characters, and paragraphs in a document. It also allows you to set custom goals for the number of words or characters you want to write and track your progress toward those goals.

Google Docs is a widely used word processing tool that is highly accessible and user-friendly. It has a variety of features that make it popular among students, professionals, and writers alike. One of its useful features is the ability to count the number of words in a document. This feature comes in handy when working on assignments, articles, or any other writing task that requires a specific word count. In this post, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to count words in Google Docs.

Step 8: Open the Google Docs document

The first step is to open the Google Docs document that you want to count the words for. If you haven’t created a document yet, you can create a new one by clicking on the “+ Blank” button on the top left corner of the screen. Alternatively, you can select a pre-made template by clicking on “Template Gallery” and choosing a template that suits your needs.

Step 9: Select the text you want to count

Once you have opened the document, select the text that you want to count the words for. You can do this by clicking and dragging the cursor over the text. If you want to select the entire document, you can use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + A” (Windows) or “Command + A” (Mac).

Step 10: Check the word count

To check the word count of the selected text, navigate to the bottom left corner of the screen. You will see a box that displays the number of words in the selected text. If you want to check the word count for the entire document, simply click anywhere in the document to deselect the text, and the word count will update to show the total number of words in the document.

Step 11: Check the character count

Google Docs also allows you to check the character count of your text. This feature is useful when you are working on assignments that have a character limit rather than a word limit. To check the character count, simply click on the word count box in the bottom left corner of the screen. This will open a pop-up box that shows the character count, as well as the word count.

Step 12: Check the page count

In addition to word count and character count, Google Docs also allows you to check the page count of your document. This feature is useful when you need to know the length of your document in terms of pages. To check the page count, navigate to the top menu bar and click on “File.” Then, click on “Page setup.” This will open a pop-up box that displays the page size and margins. In this box, you will also see the page count of your document.

Step 13: Check the word count while typing

Google Docs also has a feature that allows you to check the word count while you are typing. This feature is useful when you need to monitor your word count as you write. To enable this feature, navigate to the top menu bar and click on “Tools.” Then, click on “Word count.” This will open a pop-up box that displays the word count, as well as the character count, of your document. The word count will update as you type.

Step 14: Use keyboard shortcuts

Google Docs has a variety of keyboard shortcuts that can make it easier to count words, characters, and pages. Here are some of the most commonly used shortcuts:

To check the word count, use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + Shift + C” (Windows) or “Command + Shift + C” (Mac).
To check the character count, use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + Shift + T” (Windows) or “Command + Shift + T” (Mac).
To check the page count, use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + Alt + P”
Google Docs is a powerful online tool that allows users to create and collaborate on documents in real-time. One of the most basic tasks that users perform in Google Docs is counting words. Whether you are writing an essay, a blog post, or a report, knowing how to count words can help you keep track of your progress and ensure that you meet your word count goals. In this article, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to count words in Google Docs.
Step 15: Open your Google Doc
To count the number of words in your Google Doc, you first need to open the document. If you are not already logged into your Google account, go to the Google homepage and click on the “Sign in” button in the top right corner. Enter your username and password, and then click “Sign in.”
Once you are logged in, go to your Google Drive and locate the document that you want to count the words for. Double-click on the document to open it.
Step 16: Check the Word Count
Once you have opened your document, you can check the word count by going to the “Tools” menu and selecting “Word count.” Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+Shift+C” (on a Windows computer) or “Command+Shift+C” (on a Mac).
The “Word count” dialog box will appear, showing you the number of words, characters (including spaces), and pages in your document. You can also choose to include or exclude footnotes and endnotes in the word count.
Step 17: Set Word Count Goals
If you have a word count goal for your document, you can set it in Google Docs to help you stay on track. To do this, go to the “Tools” menu and select “Word count.” In the “Word count” dialog box, click on the “Set target” button.
In the “Set target” dialog box, enter the number of words you want to reach, and then click “OK.” Google Docs will display a progress bar at the bottom of the screen, showing you how close you are to reaching your goal.
Step 18: Use Add-ons to Enhance Word Count
Google Docs offers a wide range of add-ons that can help you enhance the functionality of the platform. Some of these add-ons can help you count words more accurately or provide additional information about your document.
One popular add-on is the “Doc Tools” add-on, which provides a word count feature that counts words, characters (with and without spaces), and pages. It also provides additional information such as the average word length and the number of sentences in your document.
Another useful add-on is the “EasyBib” add-on, which can help you create bibliographies and citations. It includes a word count feature that counts words, characters (with and without spaces), and pages. It also includes a plagiarism checker and a grammar checker.
Step 19: Save and Share Your Document
Once you have finished writing your document and counting the words, it’s important to save it and share it with others. To save your document, go to the “File” menu and select “Save” or “Save as” if you want to rename the file or save it in a different location.
To share your document with others, click on the “Share” button in the top right corner of the screen. You can choose to share the document with specific people, or you can make it public and share a link that anyone can access.
Conclusion
Counting words in Google Docs is a simple but essential task that can help you stay on track and meet your writing goals.