Not everyone has Microsoft Word or access to Google Docs. Whether you are working in a plain text file, a website CMS, a coding environment, or on a phone, there are multiple reliable ways to count words in any text.

Method 1: Free Online Word Counter (Easiest)

The fastest method that works on any device with a browser. Simply paste your text into our free word counter and you get an instant count of words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, and reading time. No account, no download, no cost.

This works for any type of text: emails, blog posts, code comments, legal documents, student essays, creative writing, or anything else. Copy your text anywhere — even from a PDF or web page — and paste it in.

Method 2: Notepad / TextEdit Word Count (Windows & Mac)

Standard text editors like Notepad (Windows) and TextEdit (Mac) do not have built-in word count, but you can use a workaround:

  1. Select all text (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A)
  2. Copy it (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C)
  3. Paste into our online word counter for an instant count

Alternatively, on Mac you can use the free TextSoap or install a lightweight writing app like iA Writer that shows live word count.

Method 3: Terminal / Command Line

For developers and technical users, the command line provides instant word count for any file:

Mac / Linux: wc -w filename.txt
Windows PowerShell: (Get-Content filename.txt | Measure-Object -Word).Words

The wc command (word count) on Unix systems shows lines, words, and characters. The -w flag returns words only.

Method 4: Browser Extensions

If you frequently need word counts on web pages (articles, forum posts, CMS editors), browser extensions count words on any page:

Method 5: Mobile Apps

On iOS and Android, several free writing apps include built-in word count:

Alternatively, on mobile, paste your text into our word counter website in your mobile browser for an instant count without installing anything.

Quickest option on any device: Visit wordcounterfree.com in any browser, paste your text, and get an instant count. Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile without any account or installation.
How do I count words in a PDF? ▾
To count words in a PDF: open the PDF in your browser or a PDF reader, use Ctrl+A to select all text, then Ctrl+C to copy, then paste into our word counter. For scanned PDFs (images), the text is not directly selectable — you will need an OCR (optical character recognition) tool to extract the text first before counting.
Does word count include headings and bullet points? ▾
Yes — most word counters, including ours, count every word in the text regardless of whether it is in a heading, bullet point, caption, or body paragraph. If you need to exclude headings from an academic word count, remove them before pasting into the counter.

Free Word & Character Counter

Count words, characters, reading time and more — instantly, no signup needed.

📝 Word Counter 🔞 Character Counter