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This wikiHow teaches you how to turn on the spell checker feature on your computer, and highlight misspelled words as you type.
Steps
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Open your Windows Settings. You can open Settings from the Start menu, or press the ⊞ Win + I keys on your keyboard.
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Click Devices in Settings.Advertisement
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Click Typing on the left panel. This will open your keyboard settings on the right-hand side.
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Slide the Highlight misspelled words switch to the On position. When this option is enabled, Windows will check your spelling as you type, and highlight your spelling errors.
- The switch will turn blue when it's on.
- Optionally, you can also turn on Autocorrect Misspelled Words here. This way, Windows will automatically correct your spelling mistakes as you type.
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Open Microsoft Word on your computer. The Word app looks like a blue-and-white document icon. You can find it on your Start menu.
- You can open a recent document, or a new, blank sheet.
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Click the File tab. This button is in the upper-left corner of Word. It will open your file menu.
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Select Options from the file menu. You can find it at the bottom of the left sidebar. It will open a new window.
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Click the Proofing tab in Options. You can find it near the top of the left sidebar in the Options window.
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Check the Check spelling as you type option. You can find it in the "When correcting spelling and grammar in Word" section in Proofing.
- When this option is enabled, Word will underline misspelled words as you type.
- Optionally, you can also check some of the other boxes in this section, and enable other correction tools for grammar errors.
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Open your Mac's System Preferences. Find and click the gray gear icon in your Applications folder, or click the Apple icon on the top-left and select System Preferences on the menu.
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Click Keyboard in System Preferences. This option looks like a tiny keyboard icon on the second row of options. It will open your keyboard and typing settings.
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Click the Text tab. It's located between Keyboard and Shortcuts at the top.
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Check the Correct spelling automatically box. You can find this option in the upper-right corner of the Text menu. When it's enabled, your Mac will check your spelling as you type, and automatically correct misspelled words.
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Open Microsoft Word on your computer. The Word app looks like a blue-and-white document icon. You can find it in your Applications folder.
- You can open a saved document, or a new, blank sheet.
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Click the Word tab on your menu bar. This button is in the upper-left corner of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
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Click Preferences on the Word menu. This will open your app settings in a new window.
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Click Spelling & Grammar in Preferences. It's under "Authoring and Proofing Tools" on the top row.
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Check the Always suggest corrections box. It's the first option under "Spelling." When it's enabled, you can right-click on a misspelled word, and see a list of suggestions.
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Check the Check Spelling as you type box. When this option is enabled, Word will automatically underline misspelled words in your document as you type.
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Select any additional spelling and grammar options you want to enable. Click and check the box next to any of the options under the "Spelling" and "Grammar" sections.
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Close the Spelling & Grammar window. Click the red button in the top-left corner to close your Settings.
- Changes to your settings are saved automatically.
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Open an app that lets you type on your Mac. You can open a word processor like TextEdit or Notes, a messaging app like Messages or Mail, an internet browser, or any other app that lets you type text.
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Click the Edit tab on the menu bar. You can find this button in the upper-left corner of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
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Hover the mouse over Spelling and Grammar . It should be near the bottom of the Edit menu.
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Click Check Spelling While Typing on the menu. When this option is enabled, your Mac automatically checks your spelling as you type in this app, and highlights misspelled words.
- When it's enabled, you'll see a checkmark next to this option on the menu.
- In some apps, you can also enable Check Spelling While Typing and Correct Spelling Automatically here.
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