How to Enable or Disable Spellcheck in Windows 11

Windows 11 has a spellcheck feature. It puts a red wavy line under words it thinks are spelled wrong. This helps you catch mistakes and fix them right away.

Why use spellcheck? It catches typos before you send messages or finish documents.

What happens if you turn it off? You won’t see the red lines anymore. This is helpful if Windows marks correct words as wrong, like names or words in other languages.

Turn Spellcheck On or Off Using Windows Settings

Here’s how to turn spellcheck on or off:

1. Open Settings by clicking the Start button (the Windows logo) in the bottom-left corner. Or press Windows key + I on your keyboard.
2. In the Settings window, click Time & language from the left menu.
3. On the right side, click Typing.
4. Look for the option called Highlight misspelled words.
5. Toggle the switch to On to turn spellcheck on, or Off to turn it off.

Here are pictures to help you find the right settings:

Click the Settings icon in Windows 11

Choose Time & Language in Settings

Click Typing to see spellcheck options

Toggle Highlight misspelled words on or off

Bonus: Change Spellcheck Using the Windows Registry (Advanced)

If you’re comfortable with advanced tools, you can also use the Windows Registry Editor. ⚠️ Admin privileges required. Be careful — wrong changes can cause problems. Here’s how:

1. Open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows key + R, typing regedit, and pressing Enter.
2. Go to this location. You can copy and paste it into the address bar at the top: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7
3. If you don’t see the 1.7 folder, right-click on TabletTip, choose New > Key, and name it 1.7.
4. Click the 1.7 folder. In the right pane, right-click and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name the new value EnableSpellchecking.
6. Double-click EnableSpellchecking and set its value to:
   • 1 to turn spellcheck ON
   • 0 to turn spellcheck OFF
7. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Setting EnableSpellchecking in Windows Registry

Summary

• Spellcheck shows red lines under misspelled words so you can fix them quickly.
• You can easily turn it on or off in Settings > Time & language > Typing.
• Advanced users can also change this setting in the Windows Registry.
• Turn spellcheck off if it marks correct words as wrong.
• For more tips on customizing Windows 11, check out how to change your display language or how to reset the Settings app.