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On a computer, open your document and select Tools > Word count. For a count that stays visible while you write, turn on Display word count while typing in the same dialog. In the Android app, tap More > Word count.
Get a word count on a computer
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Open your document in Google Docs.
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Select Tools > Word count.
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Read the dialog for the document’s word, character, and page counts. If you highlighted text before opening the dialog, the count applies to that selection instead of the whole document.
Google Docs’ computer instructions recommend the dialog for longer documents. The count normally covers the document except headers, footers, and footnotes. Google Docs Editors Help
Keep the count visible as you write
In the Word count dialog, check Display word count while typing, then close the dialog. A count box appears at the lower left of the document. Open that box to see the page, word, character, and character-without-spaces counts. To hide the box, open it and choose the option to hide the word count.
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The persistent display is useful for short documents when you want ongoing feedback; for longer documents, Google recommends reopening the dialog when you need a count. Google Docs Editors Help
Count words in the Google Docs Android app
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Open the document in the Google Docs app.
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Tap More (the three-dot menu), then tap Word count.
The Android app displays words, characters, and characters excluding spaces. Google’s Android instructions say the feature is available for Google Docs, but not Google Sheets, Google Slides, or documents opened in Microsoft Office Compatibility Mode. Google Docs Editors Help
Count only a paragraph or selected passage
On a computer, select the passage first, then choose Tools > Word count. The dialog reports the selected text’s count. Google’s default whole-document count excludes headers, footers, and footnotes; selecting text is the way to count a particular passage that includes only the material you want measured.
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For Android, a Google Docs Editors Community answer dated October 13, 2022, by volunteer Product Expert Jo S. Diamond describes selecting text, tapping the three-dot menu, then Word count; it says the result includes both the selection and whole-document counts. This is community guidance, not current official Android documentation, so the computer workflow is the clearest documented way to count a selection. Google Docs Editors Community
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Google Docs includes—and where word count is available
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Unless you select a passage, the count covers the document except headers, footers, and footnotes, according to Google Docs Editors Help.
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Google identifies word count as a Google Docs feature; it is not available in Google Sheets or Google Slides. Google’s Android help also lists Office Compatibility Mode as unavailable.
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Google’s cited instructions do not specify a formal rule for how every punctuation mark, hyphenated term, or other edge case is counted. If a school, publisher, or application has its own counting rules, use its required method for the final submission.
Google Docs also offers pageless layout, which presents a document as continuous scrolling without page breaks. The cited page-setup guidance does not say that this layout changes the word total. Google Docs Editors Help
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