Select View > Grids & Guides > Show Character Count to display the count, or select Hide Character Count to conceal it.
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Show or hide frame grid character count
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to use the View menu commands in Adobe InDesign to toggle character count visibility in frame grids.
Frame grids display a character count at the bottom of the grid showing characters per line, total lines, total cells, and the actual character count. You can show or hide this information to keep your workspace clean or to verify text fitting during layout work. The character count display helps you monitor how much text occupies the grid and whether you have overset text that needs attention.
Toggle character count display
The character count appears at the bottom of the frame grid. For example, if your grid shows 10, 5, 50 (29), this means:
- Characters per line: 10
- Number of lines: 5
- Total cells: 50
- Actual characters placed: 29
Customize character count appearance
If you need to adjust where the character count appears or change its size, you can modify these settings in the Frame Grid Options dialog box.
Select the frame grid using the Selection tool.
Select Object > Frame Grid Options.
Under View Options, specify the character count view settings and size preferences.
Select OK to apply your changes.
Tip
The character count feature only works with frame grids, not regular text frames.
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