How to Exclude Words from Word Count Google Docs: A Step-by-Step Guide

Excluding words from your word count in Google Docs is a nifty trick that can help you meet specific requirements for essays or reports. In just a few simple steps, you can learn how to exclude certain words, sections, or even pages from your document’s total word count. Don’t worry, it’s as easy as pie, and you’ll have it down in no time!

Step by Step Tutorial on How to Exclude Words from Word Count Google Docs

Before we dive into the steps, let’s clarify what we’re trying to achieve. Google Docs doesn’t automatically exclude words from the word count for you, but with a little bit of manual tweaking, you can get an accurate count of only the words you want to include.

Step 1: Highlight the text you want to exclude

Simply click and drag over the words or sections you don’t want to count.

When you highlight text in Google Docs, it becomes editable separately from the rest of your document. This is the first step in making sure these words aren’t included in your final word count.

Step 2: Remove the highlighted text

Cut the highlighted text from your document using the ‘cut’ function or by pressing Ctrl+X (Cmd+X for Mac users).

This step temporarily removes the words from your document, ensuring they won’t be included in the word count. Don’t worry, we’re not deleting them for good!

Step 3: Check the word count

Go to ‘Tools’ in the menu bar and click on ‘Word count’ to see the updated total without the excluded text.

This will give you the new word count that doesn’t include the text you’ve just cut out. Jot this number down, as you’ll need it later to get your final count.

Step 4: Paste the text back into the document

Undo the ‘cut’ action by pressing Ctrl+V (Cmd+V for Mac users) to put your text back where it was.

Your document should now look exactly as it did before, but you have the correct word count that excludes the text you didn’t want to include.

After completing these steps, you’ll have the accurate word count you need for the sections of your document that matter. It’s a manual process, but until Google Docs implements a feature to automatically exclude text, this workaround does the trick!

Tips for Excluding Words from Word Count Google Docs

• Remember to always make a backup of your document before making any changes to avoid accidental data loss.
• Use the ‘Undo’ function (Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z) if you accidentally remove text you did not want to exclude from the word count.
• If you frequently need to exclude text from word count, consider using a separate document for the text that doesn’t need to be counted.
• Be aware that this method only gives you a temporary word count. If you add or delete text after performing these steps, you’ll need to repeat the process to get an updated count.
• Make a note of the word count with the excluded text, in case you need to reference it later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a way to permanently exclude words from the word count in Google Docs?

No, Google Docs does not currently have a feature to permanently exclude words. The steps provided here are a manual workaround for this limitation.

Can I exclude specific words, not just sections or blocks of text?

Excluding specific words would require you to manually highlight each occurrence of that word, which can be time-consuming. It’s more practical to exclude larger sections or paragraphs.

Will this method save my excluded word count for later reference?

No, each time you change the document, you’ll need to perform the steps again to get an accurate count without the excluded words.

Can I use this method to exclude footnotes or endnotes from the word count?

Yes, you can use this method to exclude any text, including footnotes and endnotes, by simply highlighting and removing them temporarily.

What’s the quickest way to highlight large sections of text?

Click at the beginning of the section you want to highlight, scroll to the end of the section, hold down the ‘Shift’ key, and click to highlight the entire block of text.

Summary

1. Highlight the text you want to exclude.
2. Remove the highlighted text.
3. Check the word count.
4. Paste the text back into the document.

Conclusion

There you have it, folks! Excluding words from your word count in Google Docs isn’t an official feature, but it’s definitely doable with a bit of manual effort. Whether you’re working on a school assignment, a work project, or any writing task with specific word count requirements, knowing how to exclude words from word count Google Docs can be a lifesaver. It’s a straightforward process that requires you to temporarily cut the unwanted text, check the word count, and then paste the text back in. Remember to do this carefully to avoid losing any important text. With this knowledge in hand, you can now tackle those word count limits with confidence, ensuring your final submission is exactly what’s required. Happy writing!