Fix Outlook Spell Checker Not Working
Usually a problem related to Word or Office
I recently upgraded the version of Microsoft Office on my computer and learned that my spell checker was no longer working! Usually, it would automatically show me misspelled words immediately if I mistyped them, however, after the upgrade, nothing was being marked.
Even if I ran the spell checker manually, it would complete without marking or correcting any of the misspelled words! Annoying! After doing some research, I found a couple of possible solutions. You might run into this problem in Word 2007, 2010, 2013 or 2016.
Method 1 – Enable Proofing in Word
Since Outlook uses Microsoft Word for spell-checking, you have to make sure that spell-checking is working in Word first.
In older versions of Word, click on the round Office icon at the top left and then click onWord Options.
Click onProofingand make sure that theCheck spelling as you typebox is checked under theWhen correcting spelling and grammar in Wordsection.
If newer versions of Office, you click onFileand thenOptions. You also have the option to check grammar along with the spelling, if you like.
Once you do that, you need to click onAdd-Insand then chooseDisabled Itemsfrom theManagedrop down menu at the bottom. Then click theGobutton.
Make sure thatProofingis not disabled. If it’s in the list of Disabled items, make sure to re-enable it.
Method 2 –DeleteRegistry Key
If that method didn’t work, you may have to try a different approach. You can do this by deleting a registry key that will not adversely affect Word or your Office programs.
Navigate to the following registry key:
Depending on what version of Word you have, it may or may not be 12.0. Delete the entireWordkey. When you reopen Word, it will recreate all the keys and subkeys for you. Also, restart Windows after deleting the key.
This should hopefully fix the spell checking issue. If not, you can navigate to the following key:
Simply delete theOverridekey. In normal versions of Office, you do not need this key at all, so it is safe to remove.
Method 3 – Repair Office
If none of that worked for you and Outlook is still not spell checking correctly, you can try to repair the installation. You can do this by going to Control Panel,Add/Remove ProgramsorPrograms and Features, clicking on Microsoft Office and then clicking onChange.
Then choose theRepairoption and allow the program to repair the installation. In newer versions of Office, you can choose between a quick repair and an online repair, the latter of which is more comprehensive. It may take quite some time for the repair to complete. After it is finished, make sure you restart your computer.
That’s about it! If you are still having this issue, post a comment here and I will try to help! Enjoy!
Founder of Help Desk Geek and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications.Read Aseem’s Full Bio
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