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How to Turn Windows 10 Spell Check and Windows Autocorrect on or Off

We show you how to turn Windows 10 spell check and Windows autocorrect on or off for use in Notepad, WordPad, and other apps.

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Though many modern applications provide an in-built spell checker, many don't. This even the case with some applications such as WordPad and , to reduce their footprint. Thankfully, you can turn on the spell check feature, which will provide autocorrect and suggestions for not just Notepad, but your entire system.

Unfortunately, all the kinks haven't been ironed out of the spell checker. Some may find it doesn't work properly in certain applications or that its interface gets in the way. As a result, we'll also be showing you how to turn on spell check in Windows 10, but also how to disable it.

To be clear, spell check shows dotted red lines under misspelled words and shows suggestions for changes. Autocorrect is a bit more aggressive, changing words itself where it thinks there's little chance the user intended to spell them that way.

We're going to be showing two methods to turn Windows autocorrect and spellcheck on or off: via the settings menu, and through the registry. The settings path is the simplest and easiest, but the registry has more chance to persist across updates. Just make sure you read our safe registry editing guide first.

How to Turn on/off Windows 10 Spell Check and Autocorrect via Settings

Though they're usually turned off by default, you can enable these features quickly via Windows Settings.

  1. Open Windows Settings


    Press the “Start” button, then click the settings cog in the bottom left corner, above the power button.

    Windows 10 - Open Settings

  2. Click the “Devices” heading


    Windows 10 - Settings - Open Devices

  3. Open the “Typing” menu and turn on or off Windows 10 spell check and Windows autocorrect


    Windows autocorrect can be enabled/disabled via the “Autocorrect misspelled words” heading, under “Spelling”. There you can also find “Highlight misspelled words”, which is the Windows 10 spell checker option.

    Windows 10 - Settings - Devices - Typing -Spelling On

How to Enable Windows 10 Autocorrect via the Registry Editor

For a more permanent solution, or if you just aren't a fan of the Windows 10 Settings interface, you can use the registry editor.

  1. Run regedit


    Press “Windows + R” to open the Run dialog, type “regedit”, and press “OK”.

    Windows 10 - Run - Open Registy Editor

  2. Navigate to the Windows typing settings registry key and create a new DWORD (32-bit)


    In the Registry Editor address bar, paste Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7. In the main pane, right-click any empty space and select “New > DWORD (32-bit) Value”. If prompted, name it “EnableAutocorrection”.

    Windows 10 - Run - Registy Editor - Enter HKEY - New DWORD

  3. Turn Windows autocorrect on or off


    Double click the DWORD to open the properties window, then modify the “Value data” to your choosing:

    1 = Enable Windows autocorrect
    0 = Disable Windows autocorrect

    Removing the registry key will have your PC follow the system settings once more. Once you're done modifying, click “OK”.

    Windows 10 - Run - Registy Editor - Enter HKEY - New DWORD - EnableAutocorrection - On

How to Turn on Spellcheck in Windows 10 via the Registry or Disable it

As you'd expect, the Windows 10 spellcheck feature requires its own registry key. Thankfully, it's in the same location as the last, so you can skip straight to step 3 if you're already there.

  1. Open Windows 10 Registry Editor


    Press “Windows + R” to open the Run box, typing “regedit” and pressing “Enter” or “OK”.

    Windows 10 - Run - Open Registry Editor

  2. Navigate to the TabletTip 1.7 registry key and create a new DWORD (32-bit)


    Paste the following into your address bar: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7. Right-click the white space in the main pane and select “New > DWORD (32-bit)”.

    Windows 10 - Run - Registy Editor - Enter HKEY - New DWORD

  3. Turn on spell check on Windows 10 or disable spell check


    When prompted, name the DWORD “Enable Spellchecking”. Double-click it open the properties interface and change the value data to one of the following:

    1 = Enable Windows spell checker
    0 = Disable Windows spell checker

    Deleting the registry key will have your computer follow the system settings.

    Windows 10 - Run - Registy Editor - Enter HKEY - New DWORD - EnableSpellchecking - On

Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.
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