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Spell check isn't working (Word for Mac)

Dawson, Karen (BSPS4) 0 Reputation points
2025-10-13T13:23:36.83+00:00

The spell check is not working. I have restarted the computer. Used the review and there are still tons of spelling errors that are not being highlighted

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For education | MacOS
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  1. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 429.6K Reputation points
    2025-10-13T14:18:51.84+00:00

    If there are tons of errors marked by the automatic spelling checker it typically is due to the text bearing a Language attribute which is different from what it should be,

    Select All [Command+A], go to Tools> Language to select the correct one, then click OK.

    If that doesn't resolve the issue please provide more descriptive information as specific examples. Be sure to include present Version Numbers of both macOS & Office. A sample file shared on OneDrive would be most helpful.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  1. Charles Kenyon 158.6K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-10-15T15:55:53.82+00:00

    Try selecting out one of the misspelled words not being flagged.

    If you have the language displayed in the status bar, click on that. Otherwise go under the Review tab and find the proofing language. Is "do not check spelling or grammar" checked?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  2. Flora-T 6,895 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-13T14:30:11.51+00:00

    Hi Dawson, Karen (BSPS4)

    Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum and sharing the issue you're experiencing with spell check in Word for MacOS.

    To better understand, you could share a few more details: your current Word and macOS version, whether this is happening in all documents or just specific ones, and any recent changes to your system or Office installation. 

    Based on my testing, here are some recommended troubleshooting steps you may consider trying.

    Start by confirming that spell check is enabled:  

    • Open Word, head to Word > Preferences, and click on Spelling & Grammar.  
    • Make sure both "Check spelling as you type" and "Check grammar with spelling" are checked.
    • Then close and reopen Word 

    Next, check your language settings: 

    • Select the text that's having issues, then go to Tools > Language and verify that the right language is chosen 
    • Also, ensure that "Do not check spelling or grammar" isn't turned on for that selection. 
    • Once you've done that, restart Word and give it another try.  

    You can also run a manual check by going to Review > Spelling & Grammar (or pressing Option + F7 on your keyboard).

    Please know that while our initial response might not resolve the issue right away, your input is incredibly valuable. With a bit more detail, we’ll work together to find the best suggestion for you. 

    Please let me know how you get on, as your feedback is valuable to the community. 

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

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