Display Word Count in Microsoft Word 2013

Microsoft Word 2013 displays the word count for a document in the status bar located at the bottom of the screen. Whether you have word count targets for your documents, need a 1,000-word paper for class, or you are just curious, you can easily check the word count on all or part of a document as you work without opening a new window. Microsoft Word 2013 counts the words as you type or remove text and displays this information in a simple form in the status bar. For expanded information that includes character, line and paragraph count, open the Word Count window.

Word Count in the Status Bar

A quick glance at the status bar located at the bottom of your document shows the word count of the document without requiring you to open another window.

If you don't see the word count in the status bar:

1. Right-click anywhere on the status bar at the bottom of the document.

2. Select "Word Count" from the Customize Status Bar options to display the word count in the status bar.

Word Count for Selected Text

View Word Counts for Selected Text. Photo © Rebecca Johnson

To view how many words are in a specific sentence, paragraph or section, select the text. The word count of the selected text displays in the lower left corner of the status bar along with the word count for the entire document. You can find the word count for a selection of several sections at the same time by pressing and holding CTRL while you make the selections.

The Word Count Window

If you are looking for more than just a simple word count, try viewing the information from the Word Count pop-up window. This window displays the number of words, the number of characters with spaces, the number of characters without spaces, the number of lines, and the number of paragraphs.

To open the Word Count Window in Word 2013, just click the word count on the status bar to open the Word Count window.

If you don't want to include the footnotes and endnotes in the word count, don't select the box next to "Include textboxes, footnotes, and endnotes."

Give It a Try!

Now that you have seen how easy it is to view the word count for your document, give it try! Next time you are working in Microsoft Word 2013, glance at Word's status bar to see how many words are in your document.