Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. 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: Hiding Errors.

Hiding Errors

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 23, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021

Word includes handy spelling and grammar checkers that can take the hard edges off some of your writing. Sometimes, however, it is nice to turn those features off so you aren't distracted by the red and green squiggly lines as you are feverishly typing your masterpiece. If you want to turn off the red and green squiggly underlines, then follow these instructions:

Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 and later versions display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
At the left side of the dialog box, click on Proofing. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The proofing options of the Word Options dialog box.

Make sure that the Check Spelling As You Type and Mark Grammar Errors As You Type checkboxes are clear.
Click OK.

With the checkboxes clear, Word will no longer check for spelling and grammar inline and those squiggly lines won't appear. To turn them back on, simply follow the instructions, but check the checkboxes.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6085) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Hiding Errors.

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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Find and Replace in Headers

Using Find and Replace is something quite routine in Excel, as it easily allows you to find and replace information in ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Fragment Warnings

Word provides a wide variety of tools that ostensibly help make you a better writer. One of those tools is the grammar ...

Discover More

Rounding to Two Significant Digits

Excel provides a variety of functions you can use to round values in any number of ways. It does not, however, provide a ...

Discover More

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!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Permanently Removing Blue Squiggly Underlines

Word's grammar checker can helpfully mark grammar goof-ups as you type. When you pass your document on to another person, ...

Discover More

Contractions Flagged as Incorrect

Word, in its never-ending quest to second-guess and try to improve your writing, may be marking your contractions as ...

Discover More

Disappearing Readability Statistics

Word provides some handy document analysis that can help improve your writing. One such tool is the readability ...

Discover More

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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 7 + 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

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.