Basic Fixes
- Check network connectivity: Google Docs does not check for spelling in offline mode. Ensure you go online and enable it.
- Clear browser cache: Clearing the cache and cookies on your web browser erases junk files that may execute bugs on websites.
- Use a third-party extension: If the spelling and grammar check on Google Docs is not working, use a third-party extension such as Grammarly.
Fix 1: Enable Spelling Check on Google Docs
Make sure autocorrect/spell checker is enabled on Google Docs. If you’ve accidentally disabled it, errors in your document will not be highlighted or corrected.
Go to Tools > Spelling and grammar.
- To view existing errors on your document, select Spelling and Grammar check.
- To enable spelling and grammar suggestions, check the second and third options, respectively.
Additionally, to enable autocorrect on Google Docs, tap on Tools in the toolbar and go to Preferences. In the general tab, check the box for Automatically correct spelling.
Fix 2: Disable Spell Check on the Web Browser
Your web browser may have a built-in spell checker that checks for errors in anything you’re typing. However, if this conflicts with the spell checker on Google Docs, the latter may not work as expected. Here’s how to disable it.
Go to the settings menu on your web browser. On the search bar, type spell-check to find and disable the feature.
If you use Chrome, go to Settings and Languages in the sidebar menu. Then, disable the toggle for Check for spelling errors when you type text on web pages.
Fix 3: Clear Formatting on Google Docs
If Google Docs does not highlight spelling errors, there might be an issue with the document’s text formatting. Therefore, clear the formatting on Google Docs and see if the spell checker works fine.
Go to the Format tab and click on Clear Formatting.
To avoid any conflicts with formatting on a text you are pasting, right-click before you paste the content and select Paste without formatting.
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Last updated on 16 April, 2024
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