Can you fix Outlook so that things are disabled (e.g., grammar check) stay disabled?

Question

I came to the forum and found the buried option to turn off the (sometimes ACTIVELY WRONG) grammar check, but it's still taunting me. When I go into settings, the option to disable it is checked, and yet there are still blue dashes on my screen. Can't imagine there's anything that I can do to fix this?

Answer 1

Hello Alan Simmer

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum regarding the issue with the grammar check feature in Outlook for Mac not staying disabled. Based on common reports from users in late 2025, this often stems from the real-time Microsoft Editor overriding per-message options or not applying changes globally. To help resolve this, here something you can do:

1. Set Proofing Language Disable as Default:
   • Open a new email draft.
   • Go to the Review tab (or Edit > Spelling and Grammar).
   • Click Language > Set Proofing Language.
   • Check Do not check spelling or grammar at the bottom.
   • Click Set As Default, then OK. This should apply the change to all future messages.
2. Disable Grammar Check via App Settings:
   • From the top menu, select Outlook > Settings (or Preferences).
   • Navigate to Spelling & Grammar (under "Personal Settings" or "Compose").
   • Uncheck Check grammar as you type. If this option isn't visible, it may be due to the New Editor preview, proceed to the next step.
3. Turn Off the New Editor Preview:
   • In a new draft, look for the New Editor (Preview) toggle at the bottom left of the compose window.
   • Switch it off to revert to the classic editor.
   • Then, repeat Step 1 or 2 to confirm the disable sticks.

If the issue persists try clear the app's cache via Outlook > Settings > Privacy, or reset preferences by deleting the file in ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Outlook/Data/Library/Preferences/ (this won't affect your data).

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