Every major word processor can count characters, but the option is usually hidden one menu deep. Here is exactly where to find it in Microsoft Word, Google Docs and Apple Pages, how to count only part of a document, and why the three apps rarely agree to the exact character.
If your text is not in a document — a caption, an email, a form answer — paste it into the Character Counter instead. It updates as you type and shows characters, words, sentences, paragraphs and spaces together.
Microsoft Word (Windows and Mac)
- Open the Review tab.
- Click Word Count in the Proofing group.
- A dialog shows Pages, Words, Characters (no spaces), Characters (with spaces), Paragraphs and Lines.
Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + G on Windows, Cmd + Shift + G on Mac.
You can also click the word count in the status bar at the bottom of the window to open the same dialog. If the status bar does not show it, right-click the status bar and tick Word Count.
Footnotes and text boxes: the dialog has a checkbox, Include textboxes, footnotes and endnotes. Tick or untick it depending on whether your limit covers those parts. Academic word limits often exclude footnotes and references, so check the guidelines.
Word on the web and mobile
- Word for the web: the word count is shown in the status bar; click it for the full breakdown including characters.
- Word for iPhone, iPad and Android: open the Review tab (on phones, tap the pencil or the "A" icon and switch to Review) and tap Word Count.
Google Docs
- Click Tools in the menu bar.
- Choose Word count.
- You will see Pages, Words, Characters and Characters excluding spaces.
Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + C on Windows and ChromeOS, Cmd + Shift + C on Mac.
Live counter: in the same dialog, tick Display word count while typing. A small box stays in the lower-left corner; click it to switch between words, characters and pages.
Google Docs on mobile: tap the three-dot menu (⋮) and choose Word count.
Apple Pages
- Click View in the toolbar (or the menu bar).
- Choose Show Word Count.
- A counter appears at the bottom of the page. Hover over it and click the arrows to switch between characters, characters without spaces, words, paragraphs and pages.
On iPhone and iPad, tap the More (•••) button, open Settings, and turn on Word Count.
Count only a selection
All three apps count just the selected text when something is highlighted:
- Word: select text, and the status bar shows "X of Y words"; open the Word Count dialog for characters in the selection.
- Google Docs: select text and open Tools → Word count; the figures show "X of Y".
- Pages: select text and the counter at the bottom updates to the selection.
This is the quickest way to check one paragraph against a limit — for example an abstract, a personal statement answer, or a product description section.
Why Word, Docs and online counters disagree
It is common to get slightly different totals from different tools. The usual reasons:
| Difference | What happens |
|---|---|
| Paragraph marks and line breaks | Word's character count does not include paragraph marks; many web counters count each line break as a character. |
| Footnotes, headers and text boxes | Included or excluded depending on settings and app. |
| Hyphens and dashes | "well-known" and "word—word" may be one word or two depending on the tool. |
| URLs, emails and numbers | Some apps split them at punctuation into several "words". |
| Emoji and special characters | Can count as one or two characters depending on how the app measures them. |
Character counts usually agree much more closely than word counts. If a limit is strict, check the count with the same tool the recipient will use — or leave yourself a margin of a few characters.
Tips for working with limits in documents
- Turn on the live counter in Google Docs or the status bar count in Word while drafting, so you do not get a surprise at the end.
- Draft long, then cut. Write the full version first and trim afterwards; it is easier to remove than to pad.
- Check pasted text for hidden characters. Text copied from PDFs often carries extra line breaks and non-breaking spaces. The Remove Empty Lines and Whitespace Remover tools clean that up before you count.
- Know whether spaces count. Most limits include spaces; a few academic and translation limits do not. See character count with or without spaces.
Frequently asked questions
What is the shortcut for word count in Word?
Ctrl + Shift + G on Windows and Cmd + Shift + G on Mac.
How do I see the character count in Google Docs?
Go to Tools → Word count, or press Ctrl + Shift + C (Cmd + Shift + C on Mac).
Does Word count spaces as characters?
Word shows both: "Characters (no spaces)" and "Characters (with spaces)".
How can I count characters in an email or text message?
Paste it into the Character Counter. Email clients and phones generally do not show a character count.
Final takeaway
Word: Review → Word Count. Google Docs: Tools → Word count. Pages: View → Show Word Count. For anything outside a document, or to cross-check a strict limit, paste the text into the Character Counter.