You can view your Word document's character count on your desktop and mobile devices by accessing the app's "Review" tab and selecting the "Word Count" option. In Word for Windows and Mac, you can also add the character counter to the app's status bar.
Microsoft Word makes it super easy to count the number of characters in your documents. You can use the status bar or the dedicated Word Count option to view that information. Here’s how to do that on your Windows, Mac, the web, iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
By default, Word displays the character count for your entire document. If you’d like to find the count for specific text, then before using the methods below, select and highlight that text in your document.
Check the Character Count in Word’s Desktop App
In Word’s app for Windows and Mac, you can find the character count using the status bar or the Word Count option. Here’s how to use both options.
Using the Status Bar
The status bar is the bar that appears at the bottom of a Word window. This bar already displays the total word count for your document, and you can edit it to display the character count as well.
To do that, open your document with Word. Then, right-click the status bar at the bottom and choose “Character Count (With Spaces).”
You’ll now see your current document’s character count in the status bar.
To see how many characters are in a specific section of text, highlight that text and then look at the character count again.
Using the Word Count Tool
Another way to check your document’s character count is by using the Word Count option in the Word’s ribbon. This option displays other information as well, such as the total word count, paragraph count, line count, and more.
To use it, while your document is open, select the “Review” tab from Word’s ribbon at the top.
On the “Review” tab, in the “Proofing” section, click “Word Count.”
A “Word Count” window will open. Here, you’ll find your current character count as well as other counts.
View the Letter Count in Word’s Web App
Finding the character count in Word‘s web app is also easy. To do that, open your preferred desktop web browser, launch Word, and access your document.
On your document screen, in Word’s ribbon at the top, select the “Review” tab.
On the “Review” tab, click the “Word Count” option.
A “Document Stats” window will open, letting you see your document’s total character count.
Find the Character Count in Word on iPhone, iPad, and Android
Word’s app for iPhone and Android doesn’t make it easy to find the character count, but the option does exist, and here’s how to access it.
First, launch the Word app on your iPhone or Android phone. Then, open the document in which you want to find the character count.
At the top of your document, tap the pencil icon. Then, in the same toolbar, tap the icon that has an A and a pencil in it.
In the menu that opens, tap “Home” and choose “Review.”
In the “Review” menu, select “Word Count.”
On the “Word Count” panel, you’ll see your document’s total character count.
Just like in the desktop version of Word, you can highlight specific parts of your document before opening the character count to see the number of characters in that particular section.
Finding the character count in Word for iPad is easier. Simply open your document with the app, select the “Review” tab at the top, and tap the “Word Count” option.
And that’s how you know the number of characters your document contains. While you’re at it, learn how to find the page count for multiple Word documents.