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Spell Check Not Working in Word

Beginner Word Errors & Fixes Applies to: Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11

Obvious misspellings aren't getting the red squiggly underline, or the spell checker won't run at all.

Before you start: save any open work and note down what you were doing when the problem started — that context helps if you need to search further or ask for help.
  1. Check File > Options > Proofing > confirm "Check spelling as you type" is ticked.
  2. Select the affected text and check Review > Language > Set Proofing Language isn't accidentally set to a different language or "Do not check spelling or grammar."
  3. Check whether the text was pasted from somewhere with that "no proofing" setting already applied — select it and reset the proofing language to fix it.
  4. Try Review > Spelling & Grammar to manually trigger a full check, which sometimes resets the automatic checker in the process.
  5. If nothing works, close Word, rename the Normal.dotm template (found under %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates) so Word rebuilds it, then reopen.
Still not fixed? Send us the details and we'll help you dig further, or browse related guides in Word Errors & Fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would spell check stop working for just one document?
That specific document may have "Do not check spelling or grammar" enabled for its text, either intentionally at some point or through a setting that got applied to the whole document by mistake.
Does changing the proofing language affect my document's actual text?
No — proofing language only tells Word which dictionary and grammar rules to check against. It doesn't translate or modify your text in any way.

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