Steps to fix Word Count not showing up in Microsoft Word

However, there are times when the status bar does not display the word count, the information is delayed too long or does not update. When this happens, you should do some quick checks to get the Word Count feature on the status bar working again.

Make sure the Word Count option is enabled

You should first make sure that the Word Count option is enabled in the status bar customizations. It may have been disabled accidentally during customization, so this needs to be ruled out.

Open a Microsoft Word document whose word count does not appear in the status bar. Right click on the status bar and find the checkmark next to Word Count . The check mark before Word Count indicates it is active. When this feature is disabled, enabling it is very simple, just click on the Word Count option and you are done.

Verifying that Word Count is enabled in the customizations will return the word count option to the status bar. If it's already enabled and it's still not showing up in the status bar, the problem may be more serious and needs further investigation.

Sign in/Restart a Microsoft Word Document

The general solution to troubleshooting something that isn't working can also be applied here. It's a reboot. Save the document, close it, and start over. Besides restarting the Microsoft Word document, consider signing out and back in to your account to fix the problem.

If restarting and re-login doesn't work, try accessing the document with admin privileges.

Access documents with admin rights

The ability to access documents with admin rights eliminates the possibility of any restrictions on the part of the operating system. Running the document with admin rights grants the program access to all restricted Windows files.

To run Microsoft Word with admin rights, right-click the Word shortcut and select Run as administrator .

If granting admin access doesn't work, try launching the Microsoft Word document in Safe Mode.

Launch Microsoft Word in Safe Mode

Microsoft Word runs with the necessary files in Safe Mode without loading any add-ins. This eliminates interference from all the add-ins you are currently using. Therefore, it can solve most Microsoft Word problems.

To run a Microsoft Word document in Safe Mode, follow these steps:

Step 1. Type "Run" into the Windows search bar and open the Run application.

Step 2. Enter winword /safe into the Run application and click OK.

Step 3. Open the same document with the word count not showing.

That way, the document will open directly in Safe Mode, which can restore the status bar word count. If this results in the word count showing up again in the status bar, then it's time to disable the add-ins, as the problem lies with them.

If the status bar doesn't show word count even in Safe Mode, uninstall the latest Microsoft Office updates you recently installed.

Uninstall Office updates

Follow these steps to uninstall Office updates:

Step 1. Open Control Panel.

Step 2. Go to Programs and Features section .

Step 3. In the left sidebar, click View installed updates .

Step 4. Right-click on the most recent updates and select Uninstall.

When reverting to Office updates doesn't solve the problem, uninstall Microsoft Word completely and reinstall it.

Reinstall Microsoft Office

You should uninstall Microsoft Office before reinstalling. To uninstall Microsoft Office, follow these steps:

Step 1. Open Control Panel.

Step 2. Go to Programs and Features .

Step 3. In the search field located in the top right corner, type "Microsoft Office".

Step 4. Right-click the Office application and select Uninstall.

After uninstalling, download a fresh copy of Microsoft Word and install it on your computer. Hopefully this will solve the problem of status bar not showing word count. However, keep in mind that any customizations you've made to your Office apps will be lost if you do this.

David Pac

Update 01 March 2022