Exclude Headers and Footnotes from LibreOffice Word Count

LibreOffice Writer includes headers, footers, and footnotes in its total document word count by default. To obtain an accurate count of only your main body text, you can use the built-in selection feature or the Word Count dialog to isolate body text from secondary elements. This guide explains how to quickly exclude headers, footers, and footnotes to see your true core word count.

The fastest and most reliable way to exclude headers, footers, and footnotes in LibreOffice Writer is by using the body text selection shortcut. Unlike the total document count, selecting the document body isolates it from other structural elements.

  1. Click anywhere inside the main body of your document (not inside a header, footer, or footnote).
  2. Press Ctrl + A (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + A (macOS).
  3. LibreOffice will highlight only the main body text, automatically excluding headers, footers, footnotes, and endnotes.
  4. Look at the Status Bar at the bottom-left of the screen. You will see a reading such as Selected: 1,250 words alongside the total document count.
  5. Alternatively, open Tools > Word Count from the top menu to view a detailed breakdown of words and characters in the current selection versus the entire document.

Method 2: Manual Selection for Specific Sections

If your document contains front matter, appendices, or multiple sections that you also want to exclude alongside headers and footers:

  1. Click at the very beginning of the body text you want to count.
  2. Scroll to the end of the desired text section.
  3. Hold down the Shift key and click immediately after the last character.
  4. Go to Tools > Word Count or check the bottom status bar to see the exact word count for the selected text block.

Understanding the LibreOffice Word Count Dialog

When you navigate to Tools > Word Count, the dialog displays two columns: