Where Is Spell Check in Outlook — And How to Control It

Spell check in Microsoft Outlook is one of those features that quietly works in the background — until it doesn't. Whether you're hunting for the setting the first time or trying to figure out why it stopped flagging errors, knowing exactly where it lives and how it behaves across different versions makes a real difference.

How Spell Check Works in Outlook

Outlook uses the same proofing engine as the rest of Microsoft Office. That means spell check, autocorrect, and grammar suggestions are all shared across Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook — they draw from the same dictionary and settings panel.

There are two layers to how Outlook handles spelling:

• Automatic spell check — underlines errors in red as you type
• Manual spell check — runs a full review before you send, triggered either manually or automatically at send time

Both are configurable, and they live in the same place regardless of which you're adjusting.

Where to Find Spell Check Settings in Outlook ✉️

Outlook for Windows (Microsoft 365 / Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021)

The spell check settings are buried inside the File menu, not in the main toolbar. Here's the path:

1. Open Outlook
2. Click File → Options
3. Select Mail from the left sidebar
4. Scroll to the Compose messages section
5. Click Editor Options
6. Select Proofing from the left panel

This is where you control everything: autocorrect, custom dictionaries, whether spelling is checked as you type, and whether Outlook checks spelling automatically before sending.

The key toggle most people are looking for is "Always check spelling before sending" — it lives right in the Mail section under Compose messages, before you even need to go into Editor Options.

Running a Manual Spell Check Mid-Email

While composing an email, you can trigger a manual check at any time:

• Press F7 — this is the universal Office shortcut for spell check
• Or go to the Review tab in the ribbon (visible when composing) → click Spelling & Grammar

Outlook on the Web (Outlook.com / Microsoft 365 Web App)

The web version of Outlook relies on your browser's built-in spell check rather than Office's proofing engine. That's an important distinction.

To enable it:

• In Chrome: Settings → Advanced → Languages → toggle on spell check
• In Edge: Settings → Languages → Microsoft Editor or basic spell check
• In Firefox: Right-click any text field → check "Check Spelling"

If you're using the web app and spell check seems inconsistent, the browser is the variable to investigate — not Outlook itself.

Outlook for Mac

On a Mac, the path is slightly different:

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to Outlook (top menu bar) → Preferences
3. Click Spelling and Grammar (or Autocorrect depending on version)

macOS also has its own system-level spell check that can run alongside Outlook's. If you're seeing duplicate corrections or unexpected behavior, there may be overlap between the two.

Outlook Mobile (iOS and Android)

The mobile apps for Outlook don't have a dedicated spell check menu. Corrections come from the device's keyboard, not from Outlook itself. iOS uses its system keyboard autocorrect; Android behavior depends on the keyboard app installed (Gboard, SwiftKey, etc.).

Why Spell Check Might Not Be Working

Several variables affect whether spell check functions as expected:

One commonly missed setting: text typed in the signature area is excluded from spell check. If you've accidentally started typing your email body inside the signature block, errors won't get flagged.

The Language and Dictionary Layer 🌐

Spell check doesn't just check spelling — it checks spelling against a specific language's dictionary. If your Outlook proofing language is set to a different regional variant (U.S. English vs. U.K. English, for example), words like "colour" or "organize" may be flagged unexpectedly.

To check or change the proofing language:

• In a compose window, go to Review → Language → Set Proofing Language

Custom dictionaries can also be managed from File → Options → Mail → Editor Options → Proofing → Custom Dictionaries. Words you've added over time live here — useful to audit if spell check is consistently missing real errors.

What Varies by Setup

Where spell check lives is consistent across modern Outlook versions, but what it actually does depends on a few moving parts:

• Whether you're using a desktop app, web app, or mobile app
• Which version of Outlook is installed (classic Outlook vs. the newer "New Outlook" experience Microsoft has been rolling out)
• Your operating system and whether its native spell check overlaps with Office's
• Which languages and dictionaries are active
• Whether your organization's IT policy has locked certain proofing settings

The New Outlook for Windows (the redesigned version available as a toggle in recent builds) has a somewhat different interface, and some users find the proofing options are accessed differently or behave more like the web app version than the classic desktop one.

Understanding which version of Outlook you're actually running — and whether you're using the desktop client, the web app, or the new redesigned experience — is the first step before any of the above paths will make complete sense for your specific situation.