diff --git a/UPGRADE.md b/UPGRADE.md
index c71f0edc5c..5512ad7667 100644
--- a/UPGRADE.md
+++ b/UPGRADE.md
@@ -85,6 +85,14 @@ immutable, iterable `WindowPage`.
  }
 ```
 
+When only the total is needed, `OffsetPaginator::count()` runs the count query
+without fetching any row:
+
+```diff
+-$total = count(new Paginator($query, fetchJoinCollection: true));
++$total = (new OffsetPaginator(fetchJoinCollection: true))->count($query);
+```
+
 `Paginator::setUseOutputWalkers()` becomes the `useOutputWalkers` constructor
 argument of `OffsetPaginator`.
 
diff --git a/docs/en/tutorials/pagination.rst b/docs/en/tutorials/pagination.rst
index ef04306da4..29f79fc3a2 100644
--- a/docs/en/tutorials/pagination.rst
+++ b/docs/en/tutorials/pagination.rst
@@ -81,6 +81,21 @@ Because the returned ``WindowPage`` is immutable and carries no temporal
 coupling, its accessors can be called in any order, and building another page
 never affects a page you already hold.
 
+When only the total is needed — to clamp a requested page number before
+fetching it, to display a "N results" badge, or to cache the total separately
+from the pages — ``count()`` runs the ``COUNT`` query alone, without fetching
+any row:
+
+.. code-block:: php
+
+    <?php
+    $paginator = new OffsetPaginator();
+
+    $total    = $paginator->count($query);
+    $lastPage = max(1, (int) ceil($total / 25));
+
+    $page = $paginator->paginate($query, Window::fromPageNumberAndSize(min($requestedPage, $lastPage), 25));
+
 How Offset Pagination Works
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
@@ -131,6 +146,11 @@ API Reference
     ``WindowPage``. All page accessors below live on the returned page. Throws an
     ``InvalidArgumentException`` if ``$position`` is not a ``Window``.
 
+``OffsetPaginator::count(Query|QueryBuilder $query): int``
+    Executes the ``COUNT`` query only and returns the total number of matching
+    root entities, without fetching any row. It is the same query as the one
+    ``WindowPage::getTotalCount()`` runs.
+
 ``WindowPage::getItems(): array``
     Returns the raw entity array for the current page.
 
diff --git a/src/Tools/Pagination/OffsetPaginator.php b/src/Tools/Pagination/OffsetPaginator.php
index ade467b1f5..ebfcde49a5 100644
--- a/src/Tools/Pagination/OffsetPaginator.php
+++ b/src/Tools/Pagination/OffsetPaginator.php
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@
  * configuration: a single instance can be shared as a service and reused for
  * any query and any page. This avoids the implicit offset handling and the
  * stateful API of the legacy {@see Paginator}, which this class is intended to
- * replace.
+ * replace. When only the total is needed, {@see count()} runs the COUNT query
+ * without fetching any row.
  *
  * @template-covariant T
  * @implements PaginatorInterface<T, Window>
@@ -89,12 +90,28 @@ public function paginate(Query|QueryBuilder $query, mixed $position = null): Win
             $this->fetchJoinCollection,
         ));
 
-        return new WindowPage($items, function () use ($query): int {
-            try {
-                return (int) array_sum(array_map('current', $this->getCountQuery($query)->getScalarResult()));
-            } catch (NoResultException) {
-                return 0;
-            }
-        }, $position);
+        return new WindowPage($items, fn (): int => $this->countResolvedQuery($query), $position);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Executes the COUNT query only and returns the total number of matching
+     * root entities, without fetching any row.
+     *
+     * This is the same COUNT query as the one {@see WindowPage::getTotalCount()}
+     * runs, for when the total is needed on its own: before choosing the window
+     * to fetch, or without any listing at all.
+     */
+    public function count(Query|QueryBuilder $query): int
+    {
+        return $this->countResolvedQuery($this->resolveQuery($query));
+    }
+
+    private function countResolvedQuery(Query $query): int
+    {
+        try {
+            return (int) array_sum(array_map('current', $this->getCountQuery($query)->getScalarResult()));
+        } catch (NoResultException) {
+            return 0;
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/Tests/ORM/Functional/PaginationTest.php b/tests/Tests/ORM/Functional/PaginationTest.php
index ca998a0215..b2076b1a79 100644
--- a/tests/Tests/ORM/Functional/PaginationTest.php
+++ b/tests/Tests/ORM/Functional/PaginationTest.php
@@ -83,6 +83,35 @@ public function testCountWithFetchJoin($useOutputWalkers): void
         self::assertSame(9, $page->getTotalCount());
     }
 
+    #[DataProvider('useOutputWalkersAndFetchJoinCollection')]
+    public function testCountWithoutPaginating(bool $useOutputWalkers, bool $fetchJoinCollection): void
+    {
+        $dql   = 'SELECT u, g FROM Doctrine\Tests\Models\CMS\CmsUser u JOIN u.groups g WHERE u.id > :min';
+        $query = $this->_em->createQuery($dql)->setParameter('min', 0);
+
+        $paginator = new OffsetPaginator($fetchJoinCollection, $useOutputWalkers);
+
+        self::assertSame(9, $paginator->count($query));
+        self::assertSame($paginator->paginate($query, new Window(0, 4))->getTotalCount(), $paginator->count($query));
+    }
+
+    public function testCountAcceptsAQueryBuilder(): void
+    {
+        $queryBuilder = $this->_em->createQueryBuilder()
+            ->select('g')
+            ->from(CmsGroup::class, 'g');
+
+        self::assertSame(3, (new OffsetPaginator())->count($queryBuilder));
+    }
+
+    public function testCountReturnsZeroForAnEmptyResultSet(): void
+    {
+        $dql   = 'SELECT u FROM Doctrine\Tests\Models\CMS\CmsUser u WHERE u.id < 0';
+        $query = $this->_em->createQuery($dql);
+
+        self::assertSame(0, (new OffsetPaginator())->count($query));
+    }
+
     public function testOffsetPaginatorReturnsFirstPage(): void
     {
         $dql   = 'SELECT u FROM Doctrine\Tests\Models\CMS\CmsUser u ORDER BY u.id ASC';
diff --git a/tests/Tests/ORM/Tools/Pagination/OffsetPaginatorTest.php b/tests/Tests/ORM/Tools/Pagination/OffsetPaginatorTest.php
index c827e75f7b..be38379a5b 100644
--- a/tests/Tests/ORM/Tools/Pagination/OffsetPaginatorTest.php
+++ b/tests/Tests/ORM/Tools/Pagination/OffsetPaginatorTest.php
@@ -137,6 +137,29 @@ public function testCountQueryIsOnlyExecutedWhenTheTotalCountIsRequested(): void
         self::assertSame(2, $executedQueries, 'The COUNT query result is memoized.');
     }
 
+    #[AllowMockObjectsWithoutExpectations]
+    public function testCountOnlyExecutesTheCountQuery(): void
+    {
+        $executedSql = [];
+        $resultStub  = $this->createStub(Result::class);
+        $this->connection
+            ->method('executeQuery')
+            ->willReturnCallback(static function (string $sql) use (&$executedSql, $resultStub): Result {
+                $executedSql[] = $sql;
+
+                return $resultStub;
+            });
+
+        $this->hydrator->method('hydrateAll')->willReturn([[3]]);
+
+        $query = new Query($this->em);
+        $query->setDQL('SELECT u FROM Doctrine\\Tests\\Models\\CMS\\CmsUser u');
+
+        self::assertSame(3, (new OffsetPaginator(true, false))->count($query));
+        self::assertCount(1, $executedSql, 'Only the COUNT query has been executed.');
+        self::assertStringStartsWith('SELECT count(DISTINCT', $executedSql[0]);
+    }
+
     public function testPaginatingDoesCareAboutExtraParametersWithoutOutputWalkersWhenResultIsNotEmpty(): void
     {
         $result = $this->getMockBuilder(Result::class)->disableOriginalConstructor()->getMock();