Turn Spell Check On in your device or app settings to flag misspellings as you type and choose a correction in a tap.
You don’t notice spell check until it’s gone. One day the red underlines vanish, autocorrect stops nudging, and a rushed message slips out with an obvious typo. This guide gets your underlines back on phones, laptops, browsers, and the writing apps people use most. It’s set up so you can skim, flip one switch, and get back to writing.
Fast Checks That Save Time
Before you hunt through menus, run these quick checks. They catch a lot of “it was on yesterday” problems.
- Restart the app you’re typing in. Some changes don’t apply until a relaunch.
- Type a known misspelling like “recieve” in a plain text box.
- Switch to a different field (a note, an email draft, a search box). Some sites block spell check.
- Confirm the active language matches what you’re writing.
One more quick test: open a fresh browser window, type the same misspelling in a search box, then in a long text field like a comment box. If the second one underlines and the first one doesn’t, spell check is working and the field is just restricted. That saves a lot of guessing for you.
Where To Find The Spell Check Toggles
Use this table as your map. It points to the shortest path for each device or app, plus the one detail that trips people up.
| Place You’re Typing | Path To The Toggle | Common Tripwire |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 system typing | Settings → Time & language → Typing → Spelling | “Highlight misspelled words” is off |
| macOS system typing | System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit | Spelling isn’t set to automatic by language |
| iPhone or iPad typing | Settings → General → Keyboard | “Check Spelling” is off for the keyboard |
| Android with Gboard | Gboard settings → Text correction | Spell check is off or suggestions are hidden |
| Chrome browser | Settings → Languages → Spell check | Wrong language list selected |
| Microsoft Edge | Settings → Languages | Writing language not added |
| Firefox browser | Settings → General → Language | Per-field “Check Spelling” is unchecked |
| Microsoft Word | File → Options → Proofing | “Hide errors in this document” is checked |
| Google Docs | Tools → Spelling and grammar | Doc-level suggestions are off |
Turn Spell Check On In Windows 11
Windows can underline mistakes across many apps, even ones that don’t ship their own checker. Start here if you type in lots of places: mail apps, notes, browsers, and chat tools.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Time & language → Typing.
- Find Spelling.
- Switch on Highlight misspelled words.
- Switch on Autocorrect misspelled words only if you want automatic fixes.
If the menu names don’t match your build, this official Microsoft page shows the same path: Windows typing spelling settings.
Two Windows Fixes When Nothing Gets Underlined
- Language mismatch: Settings → Time & language → Language & region. Move the right language to the top, then test again.
- App overrides: Some apps ignore the system checker and rely on their own settings. If Windows works in Notepad but not in Word, adjust Word too.
Enable Spell Check In macOS
On a Mac, spell checking can be controlled at the system level, inside each app, or both. Start with the system option so new apps inherit it.
- Open System Settings.
- Pick Keyboard.
- Under Text Input, click Edit.
- Set Spelling to Automatic by Language.
If Pages is the app giving you trouble, Apple’s own guide includes the menu commands and shortcuts. Link: Pages Help for Mac.
Mac Checks That Fix The “It Works In One App” Problem
- In the app menu bar, open Edit → Spelling and Grammar, then ensure “Check Spelling While Typing” is checked.
- If you write in two languages, confirm you didn’t lock a specific dictionary for the app.
- Test in Notes or TextEdit. If spell check works there, the issue is app-level.
Enable Spell Check On iPhone And iPad
iOS and iPadOS route spell check through keyboard settings, so the same toggle affects Mail, Notes, Messages, and most apps that use the system keyboard.
- Open Settings.
- Tap General → Keyboard.
- Turn on Check Spelling.
- Set Auto-Correction based on your preference. You can keep underlines on while keeping autocorrect off.
If the underlines feel inconsistent, scroll to Keyboards and confirm the language you type in is installed and enabled.
Enable Spell Check On Android
Android spell checking depends on your keyboard and on a system toggle. Many people use Gboard, so start there.
Gboard Steps
- Open any app, tap a text field, then open Gboard settings (gear icon).
- Tap Text correction.
- Switch on Spell check.
- Turn on the suggestion strip if you want quick replacements above the keyboard.
Android System Spell Checker
On many devices you can also go to Settings → System → Languages & input → Spell checker, then select a checker and switch it on. If you have multiple keyboards installed, this is the place that decides which checker gets used.
Turning Spell Check On In Your Browser Settings
Browsers add one wrinkle: a website can disable spell checking for a specific field. When that happens, no setting on your device will force underlines to appear in that one box.
Chrome
Open Chrome Settings → Languages. Under Spell check, turn it on and select the languages you want. Chrome may offer a basic option and an enhanced option; pick the one that matches your comfort level with sending typed text for checking.
Browser Privacy Choices
Some browsers offer two checking modes. A basic mode uses local dictionaries from the browser or your operating system. An enhanced mode can send the text you type to a service to get stronger suggestions. If you type passwords, account numbers, or other private strings in the browser, stick with basic mode. If you want stronger suggestions, enable the enhanced option only in normal browsing, then test it in a simple text box to confirm it behaves the way you expect.
Microsoft Edge
Open Edge Settings → Languages. Turn on spelling and add the writing languages you use. If Edge underlines words in one site but not another, test in a plain text field or a different site before changing anything else.
Firefox
In Firefox Settings → General → Language, enable spell checking. Then right-click inside a text box and confirm “Check Spelling” is checked for that field.
Enable Spell Check In Writing Apps
System and browser settings get you most of the way. Big writing apps still keep their own switches, and those can override everything else.
Microsoft Word
- Open Word and go to File → Options.
- Choose Proofing.
- Check Check spelling as you type.
- Scroll to document exceptions and clear any “hide spelling errors” options.
Word Gotcha: Text Marked As “Do Not Check”
If one document ignores mistakes while others work fine, select all text, open the Review tab, set the proofing language, and make sure the “do not check” option isn’t applied. This single setting can make spell check look broken when it’s not.
Google Docs
In Docs, open Tools → Spelling and grammar, then turn on spelling suggestions for that document. You can run a full scan from the same menu when you want to clean up a long draft.
Apple Pages
Pages has its own spelling and grammar commands (Edit → Spelling and Grammar on Mac). If system underlines work in other apps but not in Pages, check Pages first, then confirm macOS spelling is set to automatic by language.
Table: Fixes When The Toggle Is On But Nothing Changes
If you already switched things on and still see no red underline, use this table like a quick diagnosis list. Start at the top and move down.
| What You See | Most Likely Cause | Fast Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No underlines in one website field | The site disabled spell check in that field | Write in Notes, then paste; test in another field |
| No underlines in one document only | Document exception or “do not check” applied | Select all, set proofing language, clear “hide errors” |
| Suggestions are in the wrong language | Wrong dictionary selected | Switch keyboard language; add the correct language pack |
| Works in some apps, not others | App-level checker disabled | Enable spelling inside the specific app |
| Underlines show, autocorrect is annoying | Autocorrect is on when you only want hints | Leave spell check on, turn off autocorrect |
| Settings changed, nothing happens | App didn’t reload the new setting | Close and reopen the app; restart the device |
| Custom words keep getting flagged | Dictionary is missing your terms | Add words to the browser or app dictionary |
| Spell check vanished after an update | Settings reset or language packs changed | Recheck language, reinstall the language pack |
Make Spell Check Feel Cleaner
Once you have underlines back, a small tune-up keeps spell check from getting in your way.
Separate Underlines From Auto-Replacements
Many people like warnings and dislike automatic swaps. On phones, keep “Check Spelling” on and dial back autocorrect. On Windows, keep highlighting on and decide on autocorrect separately. In Word, keep live checking on and trim the auto-correct entries you dislike.
Add Names And Terms You Use All The Time
If you write about products, people, places, or technical terms, add them to your personal dictionary. Right-click a flagged word in most desktop apps and pick “Add to dictionary.” Doing this once saves you from ignoring the same underline for months.
Three-Minute Setup You Can Reuse
If you just want a reliable order of operations, run this routine:
- Enable spell checking at the system level (Windows typing, macOS spelling, or phone keyboard settings).
- Enable it in your browser if you type on the web often.
- Enable it in your writing app if one document still slips through.
Then type a quick test misspelling. If nothing appears, check language first, then use the troubleshooting table above.
Once everything is set, you’ll catch the small mistakes before anyone else sees them. That’s the whole point of turn spell check on: less second-guessing, fewer do-overs, and cleaner writing with almost no extra effort.
Save this page and run the same routine any time a device update, a new keyboard, or a new browser profile makes spell check disappear again. In a pinch, search within this article for turn spell check on and jump straight to the device you’re using.