How to Do a Character Count in Word: A Go-To Guide

January 24, 2025
How to Do a Character Count in Word: A Go-To Guide

Have you ever needed to keep track of your text length while working in Microsoft Word?

Whether you're crafting a social media post with a strict character count, writing a school essay with a word limit, or translating a document with space constraints, knowing how to check the character count in Word is essential.

Microsoft Word provides built-in tools to check your word and character count, but did you know that there are also advanced techniques and AI-powered tools that can make this process even easier? In this guide, you’ll learn multiple ways to count characters in Word, explore advanced counting methods, and discover how the Tomedes Word Count Tool can enhance your workflow.

How to count characters in Microsoft Word

Knowing the character count in Word is crucial for writers, students, and professionals who work with text limits. Whether you're crafting a tweet, an essay, or a marketing copy with restrictions, understanding how to check and manage your word and character count ensures precision in your writing. Below are different methods to efficiently count characters in Microsoft Word:

Using the Word Count Tool

The simplest way to check the character count in Word is through the Word Count tool:

  1. Open your document in Microsoft Word.

  2. Click on the Review tab in the ribbon.


  3. Select Word Count from the toolbar.


  4. A window will appear displaying the number of words, characters (with and without spaces), paragraphs, and lines in your document.

Checking Character Count from the status bar

For an even quicker method, you can customize the status bar to display your word and character count: