How to disable French spacing between words and punctuation in Outlook for Mac?

Question

Hi,

This question has already been asked a few times, but none of the answers provided helped me. I am using Outlook for Mac, version 16.106.1.

I use both English and French equally when composing emails on Outlook, and when writing in French, Outlook keeps wanting to add a space between the last word of a sentence and a punctuation mark (bar the full stop, so only ? ! ; : ). This is called French spacing. I never apply that rule in English or French.

When the word and punctuation are underlined in blue, there is a "More options" button, with a "Stop checking for this" button, but strangely, it doesn't work or have any effect whatsoever. It keeps everything underlined in blue.

I have tried unchecking the "Commonly confused words" listed under "Grammar and style options" in Outlook's settings, but it hasn't worked. I also tried looking for the "AutoFormat As You Type" tab to disable "French spacing" (which was recommended by a specialist in a Q&A), but couldn't find it.

Please tell me there is a way to keep the spelling and grammar check for any language, but disable that unnecessary rule.

Any help is much appreciated.

Regards,

Louis

Answer 1

Hello Louis-0523, 

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A, and I understand how annoying it is when the software tries to force a stylistic rule that you do not use, especially when the buttons designed to stop it simply ignore your clicks. 

To give you the honest truth right away: In Outlook for Mac, the Microsoft Editor engine hardcodes standard French typographic rules (which strictly require a non-breaking space before ?, !, :, and ;). Because this applies language‑specific typographic rules as part of French proofing:

• Clicking "Stop checking for this" does not persist Editor exclusions. 
• Resetting your settings does not change language-driven rules. 
• The "AutoFormat As You Type" menu you read about online is a Windows-only feature; the Mac version does not have this UI option unlocked. 

Because Microsoft has not built a toggle to disable just this specific rule on macOS, there is no perfect solution that gives you exactly what you want. However, here are the two most effective workarounds you can use in the meantime:

Option 1: Change the proofing language to English while typing 

By temporarily switching the language to English, Outlook will stop trying to enforce French typographic spacing entirely. 

• While composing an email, go to the top menu bar and click Edit > Spelling and Grammar> Language> Language... 
• Select English (or check the box to Detect language automatically). 
• The Trade-off: French grammar rules will not be applied while English is active. 

Option 2: Disable grammar checking globally 

If you only care about catching spelling mistakes (typos) and do not need complex grammar suggestions, you can turn off the grammar engine. This stops the grammar-based spacing suggestions from appearing. 

• Go to **Outlook (**next to the Apple icon) > Settings > Spelling & Grammar. (type it in the search box on the top right)
• Uncheck the box for Check grammar as you type. 
• The Trade-off: You will receive no grammar suggestions in any language, though standard spell-check will still function normally. 

Share Your Feedback 

Since this is a crucial feature for the Mac client, I highly encourage you to provide feedback directly to the development team by clicking Help > Give Feedback inside the Outlook app. Microsoft prioritizes Mac feature parity based heavily on direct user requests! 

I hope this explanation helps clarify how Outlook handles these language rules behind the scenes. Please let me know if you need any further assistance! 

Answer 2

To disable French spacing in Outlook for Mac, you can try the following steps:

1. Check Language Settings: Ensure that the language settings for your document are set correctly. Go to Tools > Language and select the appropriate language (English or French) for your current email.
2. AutoCorrect Options: You may want to check the AutoCorrect options. Go to Outlook > Preferences > AutoCorrect and see if there are any settings related to spacing that can be adjusted.
3. Grammar and Style Options: Since you mentioned trying to uncheck "Commonly confused words," ensure that you also explore other grammar and style options in Outlook > Preferences > Spelling & Grammar. Look for any settings related to punctuation or spacing.
4. Reset Preferences: If the above steps do not work, consider resetting your Outlook preferences. This can sometimes resolve persistent issues.
5. Contact Support: If the problem persists, it may be beneficial to reach out to Microsoft Support for further assistance, as they can provide specific guidance based on your version of Outlook.

These steps should help you manage the French spacing issue while keeping the spelling and grammar checks active for both languages.