Google Docs includes a built-in word counter that helps students, writers, bloggers, and professionals track their writing progress. Whether you’re using a desktop, iPad, Android, iPhone, or even Google Sheets, enabling the word count feature is simple.

In this detailed guide, you’ll learn how to turn on word count in Google Docs, how to make it appear automatically, how to set it as default, and how to use shortcuts for faster access.

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• How to double space in Google Docs
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✅ Why Word Count Is Important

Word count is essential for:

• School essays (minimum or maximum limits)
• Job applications
• SEO writing
• Research assignments
• Article submissions
• Book writing and editing

The good news is Google Docs allows real-time word count tracking.

🔹 How to Turn On Word Count in Google Docs (Desktop – Windows & Mac)

Steps:

1. Open Google Docs.
2. Click Tools in the top menu.
3. Select Word Count.
4. Check the box: Display word count while typing.
5. Click OK.

Now the word count appears at the bottom-left of the document.

This helps with:
✔ how to permanently turn on word count Google Docs
✔ how to make word count automatically in Google Docs
✔ how to make word count default in Google Docs

🔹 How to Turn On Word Count in Google Docs Using Shortcut

Google Docs has a built-in keyboard shortcut for quick access.

Shortcut:

Ctrl + Shift + C (Windows)
Command + Shift + C (Mac)

This solves:
✔ how to turn on word count in Google Docs shortcut

🔹 How to Turn On Word Count in Google Docs on iPad

If you’re using Google Docs on iPad:

Steps:

1. Open the Google Docs app.
2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.
3. Select Word Count.

You will see:

• Words
• Characters
• Characters excluding spaces
• Pages

This solves:
✔ how to turn on word count in Google Docs on iPad

🔹 How to Turn On Word Count in Google Docs Mobile (Android & iPhone)

The method is the same on both platforms.

Steps:

1. Open the document → tap Menu (⋮).
2. Tap Word Count.

Word count opens in a popup window with all statistics.

🔹 How to Permanently Turn On Word Count in Google Docs

Google Docs does not offer a “global default” setting, but you can make word count stay visible for the current document:

Steps:

1. Go to Tools → Word Count.
2. Enable Display word count while typing.

Word count now stays active until the document is closed.

This answers:
✔ how to permanently turn on word count Google Docs
✔ how to make word count default in Google Docs

🔹 How to Make Word Count Automatically Appear in Google Docs

To make the word count show automatically every time:

Steps:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + C or go to Tools → Word Count.
2. Check Display word count while typing.

This enables automatic, real-time tracking.

Solves:
✔ how to make word count automatically in Google Docs

🔹 How to Make Words Not Count in Google Docs

If you want Google Docs to ignore certain words or sections:

Method 1: Use Headers/Footers

Google Docs does not count text in:

• Headers
• Footers
• Footnotes

Method 2: Use Comments

Text inside comments is not counted.

Method 3: Use a Separate Document

Copy non-countable text into a temporary doc.

This addresses:
✔ how to make words not count in Google Docs

🔹 Bonus: How to Make a Word Count in Google Sheets

If you want to count words in Google Sheets:

Formula (Count words in a cell):

=COUNTA(SPLIT(A1," "))

Count words in a range:

=ARRAYFORMULA(SUM(COUNTA(SPLIT(A1:A10," "))))

This solves:
✔ how to make a word count in Google Sheets

⭐ Conclusion

Word count is one of the most useful features in Google Docs, especially for students, bloggers, and professionals who must follow strict writing limits. Whether you’re on a desktop, mobile, iPad, or Mac, enabling the feature takes only a few seconds.

Now you know:
✔ how to turn on word count in Google Docs on iPad
✔ how to turn on word count in Google Docs shortcut
✔ how to make word count default
✔ how to make word count automatic
✔ how to exclude words
✔ how to count words in Google Sheets

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❓ FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. How do I make the word count appear while typing?

Go to Tools → Word Count → enable Display word count while typing.

2. Why is my word count not showing?

Make sure the option is enabled and you are not in view-only mode.

3. Can I show character count instead of word count?

Yes, click on the word counter box and choose the display option.

4. Is the mobile word count real-time?

No, word count on mobile (iPad/iPhone/Android) shows only when you open the Word Count popup.

5. Does Google Docs count words in headers or comments?

No. Headers, footers, comments, and footnotes are excluded.