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Word spell check is not working

Jeff Regler 20 Reputation points
2026-01-14T20:09:12.52+00:00

Spell check is not working properly. Misspelled words are not underlined and not found when running spell check. Ideas?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
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AI answer

2026-01-14T20:09:23.1533333+00:00

If spell check is not working in Microsoft Word and misspelled words are not underlined, there are several potential causes and solutions you can try:

  1. Check if Proofing Tools are Installed: Ensure that the proofing tools are installed for your version of Word. If they are not, you may need to install them.
  2. Enable the Speller Add-in: Sometimes the speller add-in might be disabled. You can check this by going to File > Options > Add-Ins, then selecting Disabled Items from the dropdown menu and enabling the speller add-in if it is listed.
  3. Check Spelling Options: Go to File > Options > Proofing and ensure that the Check spelling as you type option is selected. Also, make sure that all checkboxes in the Exceptions for section are cleared.
  4. Set Proofing Language: Select the entire document, then go to the Review tab, click on Language, and select Set Proofing Language. Make sure the correct language is selected and that the Do not check spelling or grammar checkbox is cleared.
  5. Registry Check: If the issue persists, you may need to check the registry settings. Make sure that there are no conflicting settings under the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Proofing Tools\1.0\Override.

Following these steps should help resolve the issue with spell check not functioning properly in Word.

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Answer recommended by moderator

Stefan Blom 341.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2026-01-14T21:23:03.2533333+00:00

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