Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Getting Rid of Blue Squiggly Underlines.
Ivan noted that on his PC the text he writes is frequently "marred" by squiggly underlines in blue. Right-clicking gives him options of Ignore Once, Ignore Rule, or Replace Direct Formatting with Style Normal. Ivan wants to turn off the blue squiggly underlines and is wondering how to do it.
Word likes squiggly underlines—the most commonly seen being red (a potential spelling error) and green (a potential grammar error). The latest squiggly underline introduced in Word is blue, which marks formatting inconsistencies. (This type of marking was introduced in Word 2002.) That is why you see the options you do—particularly "Replace Direct Formatting with Style Normal"—when you right-click the underlined word or phrase.
You can turn off this marking by making a configuration change in Word:
Figure 1. The advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6053) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Getting Rid of Blue Squiggly Underlines.
Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!
Sometimes the options presented by Word's tools don't exactly meet our formatting needs. Rather than changing the tools ...
Discover MoreWhen you have two versions of Word installed on the same system, it can cause a few problems, such as Windows opening the ...
Discover MoreDoes your text on the screen sometimes look "scrunched up" when it comes to the transition between pages? It could be a ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-12-08 14:17:51
CDSalas
You can remove the blue squiggly lines by unchecking the "Mark grammar errors as you type" under the "Proofing" options.
2016-12-02 03:04:10
Richard Price
For me, this tip is only partly correct - yes, if enabled, formatting inconsistencies are marked with a blue squiggly line but so are grammar check errors and contextual spelling errors. I have "Mark grammar errors as you type" turned on and "Mark formatting inconsistencies" turned off, and I see blue lines but never a green line in Word 2013 and 2016, so I think this part of the tip is out of date. See for example http://www.gcflearnfree.org/word2013/checking-spelling-and-grammar/2/ which states "In previous versions of Word, grammar errors were marked with a green line, while contextual spelling errors were marked with a blue line".
@robert wyatt: in my Word 2016 (on Windows 7) the "Mark formatting inconsistencies" check box is a sub-option under the "Keep track of formatting" check box, which is the 11th main option under "Editing options". It is greyed out if "Keep track of formatting" is unchecked.
2016-10-09 14:08:19
robert wyatt
This explanation is hard to follow, at least for people with Windows 10,because it says, "In the Editing Options section, clear the Mark Formatting Inconsistencies check box." But there is no Mark Formatting Inconsistencies. Look as long as you like. It's not in mine, anyway. But if you hit every button, you might get lucky.
2016-09-23 08:21:57
Andre
Thank you very much, it helped!
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: 
Comments