When doing homework or drafting articles using Microsoft Word, you may need to know the word count that you have written. Fortunately, Word has a word counter that is easy to use. Every version of Word, whether the computer version, mobile device (mobile device), or online, has this tool. By selecting the right menu and clicking or tapping the word count option listed on the menu, you can get the information you need.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Microsoft Word Windows or Mac Version
Step 1. Select the document
Hover over the document you want to open. Select the document then once the document title is highlighted, click Open at the bottom right of the dialog box.
Open an existing document. To open a document, go to the File menu and then click Open. A dialog box will appear with a list of available documents
Step 2. Select the Tools menu
Once the file is opened, select the " Tools " menu in the upper middle of the window.
This step is only required on MAC OS
Step 3. Move the menu down until you find the “Word Count” option
On the "Tools" drop-down menu, click "Word Count."
If you're not using a Mac, you won't find the Tools menu on the top bar of the screen. In this case, go to the Review tab at the top of the document. After that, you will see the Word Count on the left side of the section
Step 4. Count the number of words
A window will appear on the screen. The window contains the number of words, letters, paragraphs, lines, and pages contained in the document.
In many documents, the word count is displayed directly at the bottom bar of the document window. Click this word count for additional information, such as page count and letters
Method 2 of 4: Counting the Word Count for a Specific Section of Text
Step 1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the text you want to calculate
Click the beginning of the sentence, paragraph, or section of text for which you want to count the words.
Step 2. Highlight the text section
Drag the cursor to the end of the text. After that, this piece of text will be highlighted in blue.
Step 3. Click the "Tools" menu
Select the "Tools" menu in the upper-middle of the document window.
Step 4. Click the “Word Count” option
Select "Word Count" on the "Tools" drop-down menu. A window will appear on the screen. The window contains the number of words, letters, paragraphs, lines, and pages contained in the document.
The word count for the highlighted section of text is displayed at the bottom bar of the document window
Method 3 of 4: Microsoft Word Mobile Version
Step 1. Run the mobile version of Microsoft Word
On your smartphone or tablet, tap the Word app to launch it.
Step 2. Open the document
The Word application usually opens the document you last worked on. Otherwise, you'll see a list of files you've recently opened. Tap the desired file.
Step 3. Tap the “Edit” menu
Once the document is open, tap the " Edit " menu (capital "A" with a pencil icon) at the top center of the screen. The "Edit" menu will appear at the bottom of the screen.
In Word for iPad, tap the "Review" menu in the top-center of the tablet screen
Step 4. Tap the "Home" menu
"Menu " Home " is on the left side of the menu bar " Edit " After that, a pop-up window (small window containing certain information) will appear.
Step 5. Tap the "Review" menu
The "Review" menu is at the bottom of the "Edit" pop-up menu.
Step 6. Tap on “Word Count” option
The " Word Count " option is near the bottom of the " Review " menu. After tapping this option, the number of words, letters, and pages in the document will be displayed on the screen.
- In Word for iPad, you can open the " Word Count " menu by tapping the icon that contains multiple rows and the number "123" displayed at the top left of the icon. It's in the main menu bar below the "Review" menu.
- Highlight a section of text by tapping it with your finger. After that, tap on the “Word Count” option to display the word count for the highlighted part of the document.
Method 4 of 4: Microsoft Word Online Version
Step 1. Run the online version of Word
Go to the office.live.com website. After that, you will get two options, namely sign in to your profile using a Microsoft account ID and password or use the free version of Word.
Step 2. Open the document
On the left side of the screen, select the most recently opened document.
If you can't find the document you want to edit, select " Open from One Drive " or " Open from Dropbox " at the bottom left of the window
Step 3. Count the number of words
After opening the document, check the bottom left of the document. The word count will appear automatically at the bottom of the bar.
Tips
- To make sure the word count always appears in the document, select " View " in the " Preferences " menu at the top left of the screen on a Mac or Windows computer. After that, check the box to the left of the text "Live Word Count."
- For computer versions of Word based on Windows or Mac, make sure you maximize the size of the Microsoft Word window. Otherwise, the Word window can be moved on the screen and the word count displayed at the bottom of the document will be closed.