Resetting Spelling and Grammar Checking on Multiple Documents

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 25, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

Sara has a folder containing about 30 Word documents. She needs to reset and then re-run Spelling and Grammar checking on all the documents. Starting the check is quick and easy, but it's a pain to go to File, then Options, then Proofing, then Recheck on each document separately. She wonders if there is a way to reset the Spelling and Grammar checking on multiple files at once.

The only way that this can be done is through the use of a macro that will, essentially, go through the same steps that you would have done manually. (Since it is a macro, however, it can do those steps much faster than you could possibly do them.) The following macro is an example of one way to accomplish the task:

Sub ResetDocs()
    Dim sPath As String
    Dim sFile As String

    sPath = "c:\Path\To\Documents\"

    sFile = Dir(sPath & "*.doc*")
    Application.ScreenUpdating = False
    Do While sFile <> ""
        Documents.Open sPath & sFile
        With ActiveDocument
            .Range.NoProofing = False
            Application.ResetIgnoreAll
            .SpellingChecked = False
            .GrammarChecked = False
            .Close SaveChanges:=wdSaveChanges
        End With
        sFile = Dir()
    Loop
    Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

In order to use the macro, all you need to do is change the path that is assigned to the sPath variable. This should be the path to the folder containing your documents, and you'll want to make sure that it ends with a backslash. The macro opens any document files in the folder and resets all the spelling- and grammar-checking-related settings in the document. Then, the document is saved. The next time you open the documents normally, you should notice that the checking should occur as normal.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1930) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Referencing a Worksheet Name

Excel provides ways to reference the column or row number of a cell, but it doesn't provide a built-in way to reference a ...

Discover More

Selecting the Entire Document with the Mouse

Want a quick way to select your entire document without taking your hand off the mouse? Try clicking away using the ...

Discover More

Changing Focus when Starting to Print

Sometimes small changes between versions of Word can affect how we do our work. (And, thereby, bug the heck out of us.) ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Rechecking Spelling and Grammar

If you ever need to check the spelling or grammar of a document from scratch, it can be confusing knowing the proper ...

Discover More

Symbols in Words Added to the Dictionary

Adding special characters to otherwise normal words, such as a company name, may be necessary. However, this could affect ...

Discover More

Spelling Errors Resulting from Erroneous Spaces

Spelling errors can result from improperly ordering letters in a word, or from adding spaces where they shouldn't be. ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 + 5?

2024-05-29 09:56:37

Andrew

I find that in cases such as these it's better (and not hard) to select the files in a folder rather than automatically operating on all the files in a hard-coded folder or, even more simply, having the macro process all open documents.

Here is a skeletal macro of how I do it using the select-files method:

Andy.

Public Sub ProcessFiles()
Dim F As Variant
Dim PreviousDocCount as Long
Dim AlreadyOpen as Boolean

With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen) ' Cf. Dialogs(wdDialogFileOpen) to have open-and-repair etc. via the dialog
.FilterIndex = 1 ' My way: Always start with "*.*"
If .Show <> -1 Then Exit Sub
For Each F In .SelectedItems
PreviousDocCount = Documents.Count
Documents.Open FileName:=F, AddToRecentFiles:=True
AlreadyOpen = Documents.Count = PreviousDocCount

' Process ActiveDocument here .

if not AlreadyOpen then ActiveDocument.Close wdSaveChanges
Next F
End With
End Sub


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.