Where to find your character count

Microsoft Word shows your character count in the Word Count dialog box, which you open from the Review tab. Click Review in the ribbon at the top, then click Word Count (the icon looks like a small document with lines). A box will pop up showing characters with spaces, characters without spaces, words, paragraphs, and pages.

The fastest route is the keyboard shortcut: press Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows or Command+Shift+C on Mac. This opens the same dialog when ready without hunting through the menu.

If you want to see your character count without opening a dialog, look at the bottom left of your document window. Word displays a live word count there by default — but this shows words only, not characters. To add character count to that status bar, right-click the word count at the bottom left, select Word Count Options, and check the box next to Characters. Now both numbers appear as you type.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the Word Count dialog by clicking Review, then Word Count, or press Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows and Command+Shift+C on Mac.
  • The dialog shows two character counts: one that includes spaces and one that does not, so you can match whatever requirement you have.
  • You can add a live character counter to the bottom status bar by right-clicking the word count and selecting Word Count Options.
  • Character count updates in real time as you type if you use the status bar method, but the dialog box shows your count only when you open it.

Understanding the two character counts

Word gives you two different character counts because different situations need different numbers. Characters (with spaces) includes every letter, number, punctuation mark, and space. Characters (without spaces) counts only the actual letters and numbers, leaving out the gaps between words.

Most writing assignments, job applications, and online forms ask for character count with spaces included — that is the larger number. Some technical writing or coding contexts ask for characters without spaces. Check your requirement before you report your count, because the two numbers can differ by 15 to 20 percent depending on how much white space your document has.

Counting characters in part of your document

If you need the character count for only a section of your document — a single paragraph, a chapter, or a few sentences — select just that text first. Highlight the words you want to count by clicking and dragging, or by clicking at the start and shift-clicking at the end. Then open the Word Count dialog the same way: Review tab, Word Count, or Ctrl+Shift+C.

The dialog will show counts for your selection only, not the whole document. The status bar at the bottom will also update to show the count for selected text only. This is useful when you are working on a document with multiple sections and each section has its own limit.

Why Word Count sometimes seems wrong

Word counts headers, footers, and text boxes by default. If your document has a header with your name and the date, or a footer with page numbers, those characters are included in your total. If you need to exclude them, you have to delete them temporarily, count, then add them back — Word does not have a setting to exclude headers and footers from the count.

Comments and tracked changes are also counted. If you have comments in your document or changes marked as "Track Changes," those appear in your character count even though they do not appear in the final printed or submitted version. Accept or delete all changes and resolve all comments before you report your final count if those should not be included.

Exporting your count to other programs

If you need to paste your character count into another document or form, you can copy it directly from the Word Count dialog. Open the dialog, then select the number you need (for example, the character count with spaces), right-click, and copy. You can then paste it into an email, a form field, or another document.

Some online submission forms ask you to enter your character count as part of the upload. Having the exact number from Word's dialog ensures you are reporting what Word actually counted, not an estimate.

When Word Count does not work

If the Word Count button is grayed out or does not respond, your document may be in a read-only mode or you may not have permission to edit it. Try clicking Edit Document at the top of the window if that button appears. If you are working in Word Online (the browser version), the Word Count feature works the same way — click Review, then Word Count — but the dialog may look slightly different.

If you are counting a document that contains a lot of images, tables, or special formatting, Word counts only the text, not the visual elements. The character count reflects words and letters only.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Word count include punctuation in the character count?

Yes. Periods, commas, quotation marks, hyphens, and all other punctuation marks count as characters. Only spaces are excluded from the "without spaces" count.

Can I set Word to show character count automatically while I type?

Yes. Right-click the word count at the bottom left of your window, click Word Count Options, and check the Characters box. The character count will then display on the status bar at all times, updating as you type.

What if my document has multiple languages?

Word counts all characters the same way regardless of language. A Chinese character, an Arabic letter, and an English letter all count as one character each. Spaces between words in any language are counted the same way too.

Does Word count numbers and special characters the same as letters?

Yes. Numbers, symbols, and special characters (@, #, $, %, etc.) each count as one character, just like letters do.