How to Check Word & Character Count in Microsoft Word [2024]

What is the most popular Word processing app in the Entire World? Undoubtedly, the name of Microsoft Word will pop up. This app is leading its way with a hooping 1.2 billion users worldwide.

As the reputation suggests, you can quickly write your specific document using this application. But Sometimes, there are some limitations that you need to finish your writing within a certain number of words and characters.

If that’s the case with you, you can see the number of words and characters in your MS Word file with easy steps such as the Status bar and Review section.

Don’t skip anything because, In this article, I will show you some super simple but tremendously effective methods to check word and character count in Microsoft Word.

Let’s begin!

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What are the Word & Character Count in MS Word?

Generally, the word and character count is a feature of MS Word that shows the total number of words and characters in a document. This count feature also displays the characters with no spaces and those with spaces from the Microsoft Word file.

When you need to confine your word file to a specific word or character limit, you can use this word & character count feature to determine how many characters or words you wrote. Then identify still how many words you need to fill up.

With the help of the count feature, you can easily measure your document and edit it if required. This count feature can come in handy when you are given a specific task and need to complete your writing within a particular word limit.

Let’s find out how you can enable this word and character count option in your system.

How to Check Character & Word Count in MS Word on Windows

While composing an MS Word file to publish in a blog, school document, or office, you need to maintain the Character & Word count. You can simply check that by hovering through some sections and settings.

Here are the steps to check character & word count in MS Word on Windows OS:

1. Use the Review Tab

Using the Review tab from Microsoft Word is an excellent way to check your Character & Word count. The process is demonstrated below.

Here are the steps to use the Review section for counting the characters & words in MS Word:

Launch the MS Word program and start composing.
Move to the Review tab when you need to count the characters and words.
Click on the Word Count option.
Select the Close button when your job is done.

You can count your document’s characters and words with these simple steps. When you open the count tab, you will see two character options with space and without space.

Also, check out our separate post on how to Fix: Microsoft Word Table Of Contents Not Updating.

2. Apply Shortcut

You can open the Word & Character Count tab using the keyboard shortcut. This tab lets you quickly see the number of characters and words you typed.

Here are the steps to apply shortcuts to open the Word & Character counter in MS Word:

Open a Microsoft Word document.
Press the CTRL+SHIFT+G keys altogether.
See your required character and word count.
Close the tab when you are done.

Using this shortcut is the easiest and fastest way to count the characters and words in Microsoft Word.

3. Click on the Status Bar

In the Status bar of Microsoft Word, there is a Word count dialog box. You can click on that box, and the count window will open, where you can find the character and word count.

Here are the steps to count characters and words using the Status bar:

Open the Microsoft Word application and start typing.
Click on the Word count dialog box when you want to see the characters and words.
Choose the Close button when you are all set.

See how easy it was to check the character and word count? You must try it yourself.

Also, check out our separate post on how to Unlock Selection in Word.

How to Find the Character & Word Count of a Specific Text in MS Word

In the Microsoft Word document, there is an option to find a specific text’s word and character count.

Suppose you urgently feel the need to know the Character & Word count of a particular selected text. You must highlight the required area at that time and click on the Word Count option from the Review tab.

Here are the steps to find the character & word count of a specific text on MS Word:

Highlight the Specific texts from MS Word.
Move your cursor to the Review tab and select it.
Click on the Word Count option.
Find your desired Character & Word count.
Select the Close button.

Checking your specific text’s character & the word is as easy as that. You can find both Word and Character count in the same Word counter tab.

Check out our separate post on Fix Export to PDF Error in Word.

How to Enable the Single Click Word & Character Count Option on MS Word

You can open the Word Count window with a single click and see your total character & word count. You must enable the Word Count option from MS Word settings to do that.

Let’s see how to do this.

Here are the steps to enable the one-click word & character count option on Windows:

Launch the MS Word document.
Click on the File option.
Select the More section and choose the Options section.
Move to the Quick Access Toolbar section from the Word Options window.
Select the All Commands option from the Choose commands from checkbox.
Scroll down and select the Word Count option.
Click on the Add option and hit the OK button.
Select the Word Count option from the top-down menu whenever necessary.

From now on, there is a dedicated Word Count button implemented on the top side of your MS Word. You can use this button whenever you needed.

How to Find Word & Character Count in MS Word on Mac

Microsoft Word is also available on the Mac, and you can access the character & word count option. As a result, if you want to know how to find the word and character count in Mac, go through the below steps accordingly.

Here are the steps to find Word and character count in MS Word on a Mac:

Open a Microsoft Word document from your Mac.
Move to the Tools menu from MS Word.
Click on the Word Count option to open the Word Counter, where you can find your desired character and word number.
Select the Close button when your need is fulfilled.

After seeing your specific Word and character number on Mac, you can easily manage your MS Word file according to your requirement.

How to See the Character and Word Count in MS Word With Mobile

Nowadays, we all use mobile phones as our daily drivers. A mobile version of the MS Word app is available on the market. You can use this app to write any document you want.

But if you need to check a document’s character and word count in MS Word, follow the instructions below.

Here are the steps to see the word & character count in MS word with mobile:

Select the specific text from MS Word mobile app.
Touch the Edit option.
Click on the Expand option and touch the Home section.
Select the Review option.
Choose the Word Count section.

Words and characters count is displayed on your mobile screen. You can achieve a complete word summary from this section, which permits you to change your word file if necessary.

FAQs

Why is word count important?

Word count is an important feature in word processing apps because, with the help of this, you can measure your document’s number of words and characters. A document with more word count means it contains more information for the readers.

What is the difference between characters and words?

Character means an individual letter, symbol, or number, but a word is the combination of those characters with a significant meaning.

What is a word count in an essay?

For any essay, the general word count is between 300 to 1000 but remember this number can vary for different documents.

Why do you need to count Word and Character in MS Word?

The Word Count feature is needed when you have limitations to completing your MS Word document within a specific number of words and characters.

Final Words

Checking the word and character count in MS Word is a straightforward process. You can easily see them by clicking on the Word count dialog box from the Status bar, or you can hover through the Review tab and select the Word Count option.

Also, you can use the shortcut keys to open up the Word Counter window to check the character & word number. Additionally, you can bring up the Word counter with a single click. Overall you know all the methods because, in this article, I easily demonstrate them in detail for your aid.

If you have any queries relating to this article, feel free to ask us in the comment; until then, bye!