Spell check on Teams: turn it on, add languages and fix it

Applies to: Microsoft Teams (work or school) and Teams Free on Windows, plus notes for Teams on the web and Mac. Menu names can differ slightly between Teams versions.

Turn spell check on or off in Teams

1. In Teams, select Settings and more (…) at the top right, next to your profile picture.
2. Select Settings, then General.
3. Scroll to the spell check option. Depending on your version it’s a checkbox called Enable spell check or a Spellcheck setting under Editor. Turn it on, or off if you’d rather not see red underlines.
4. Fully quit Teams (right-click its icon in the taskbar notification area and select Quit) and open it again. The change may not apply until you do.

Fix a misspelled word

When spell check is on, Teams underlines words it doesn’t recognize in red as you type a chat or channel message. Select the word (on Windows, right-click it) to see:

• Suggested spellings: pick one to replace the word.
• Add to Dictionary: stop flagging a name or term you use often.
• Ignore All: ignore the word for now without adding it.

Teams can also ignore words in capitals, words with numbers, and web or file addresses, which saves a lot of false alarms with product codes and links.

Check spelling in more than one language

Teams can check several languages at once and detects which one you’re typing in. Microsoft lists English, Spanish, French, Italian and German as supported for this multi-language checking.

1. Go to Settings and more (…) > Settings > General.
2. In the spell check section, select Manage and add the languages you write in. You can add up to five.
3. Alternatively, while writing a message, select More options > Manage languages.
4. Start typing. Teams flags errors based on the languages you chose.

Teams also takes cues from Windows. If a language isn’t checked, add it in Windows too: Settings > Time & language > Language & region > Add a language in Windows 11, or Settings > Time & Language > Language in Windows 10, then restart Teams.

Spell check not working in Teams? Try these fixes

• Toggle it off and on. In Settings and more (…) > Settings > General, turn spell check off, quit Teams, open it again and turn it back on.
• Turn on Windows spelling. In Windows 11 go to Settings > Time & language > Typing; in Windows 10 go to Settings > Devices > Typing. Turn on Highlight misspelled words.
• Match your keyboard language. Teams’ default spell-check language follows your Windows keyboard (input) language. If you type English with a different keyboard selected, switch it with Win + Space.
• Add the language pack. In Windows language settings, open the language’s Options and make sure its language features are downloaded.
• Update Teams. Teams updates itself, but only applies updates after a restart. Quit and reopen it, and check the version under Settings and more (…) > Settings > About Teams. Older builds of the new Teams had known spell-check gaps that later updates fixed.
• Check the message box. Spell check works in chat and channel message boxes; some other fields in Teams, such as meeting titles, may not be checked.

If Teams keeps misbehaving or you need to sign in with a different account, see how to remove an account from Teams. For media problems in chats, see GIFs not working in Teams.

Teams on the web and Mac

• Teams on the web: spelling is usually handled by your browser. In Edge or Chrome, right-click in the message box and check the spell check options, or turn on spell check in the browser’s language settings.
• Teams on Mac: use the same Settings and more (…) > Settings > General steps. macOS spelling settings in System Settings > Keyboard also affect which words are corrected.

For checking longer documents, Word’s Editor is more thorough; see our Microsoft Word tips and tricks.

Related guides

• GIFs not working in Teams: how to fix it
• How to remove an account from Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft Word tips and tricks
• Outlook tips and tricks
• Microsoft Teams tips and tricks: 10 ways to work faster

Official sources: for more detail, see this page:

• Microsoft Support: Check your spelling in multiple languages in Microsoft Teams

Frequently asked questions

Does Teams have spell check?

Yes. Teams checks spelling in chat and channel messages and underlines mistakes in red. You can turn it on or off in Settings and more (…) > Settings > General.

How do I change the spell check language in Teams?

Add languages with Manage in the spell check section of Settings and more (…) > Settings > General, or via More options > Manage languages in a message. Teams also follows your Windows keyboard language.

Why did Teams stop underlining spelling mistakes?

Usually spell check was turned off, Teams needs a full restart, or Windows’ Highlight misspelled words setting is off. Work through the fixes above.

Can my organization turn spell check off?

Spell check is a personal setting, but organizations control which Teams version you get and when it updates. If the option is missing on a work PC, ask your IT team.