3 Best Fixes for Windows 10 Autocorrect Not Working
Did you know that Windows 10 comes with a built-in autocorrect tool? The tool does what it’s intended to – spot grammatical errors as you type – and does it smartly. The Windows AutoCorrect Tool highlights misspelled words as you type in certain applications to get your attention and allow you to correct these errors. You can even leave auto correction too to automatically correct misspelled words. If AutoCorrect is not working on your Windows 10 PC for some reason, refer to the solutions in this guide to re-enable AutoCorrect on your PC.
Before continuing, it’s important to note that AutoCorrect (on Windows) only works with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps (i.e., Windows Store apps). Applications developed by Microsoft or applications installed from the Microsoft Store fall into this category. Examples include Outlook, Microsoft Edge, Mail, etc.
If Windows AutoCorrect does not detect grammatical errors when you type in third-party applications, this is how the tool was designed (not) to work. However, if AutoCorrect doesn’t work for native Windows Store apps, then that’s a cause for concern. Here are some solutions you should try.
1. Reactivate automatic correction
Disable the automatic fix tool, restart your PC and turn it back on. There are several ways to do this.
From the Settings menu
Step 1: Launch the Windows Settings menu and select Devices.
2nd step: In the left menu, click on Input.
Step 3: In the spelling section, turn off the “Auto-correct misspelled words” and “Highlight misspelled words” options.
Step 4: Restart your computer.
Step 5: Revisit the Windows input menu (Settings> Devices> Input) and toggle both options in the Spelling section.
Go back to typing in the affected apps and check if AutoCorrect now works.
From the registry editor
You can also re-enable AutoCorrect on your PC by editing the registry file that powers the (AutoCorrect) feature. Here’s how.
Step 1: Launch the Run Windows dialog box using the “Windows + R” keyboard shortcut.
2nd step: Type regedit in the dialog box and click OK or press Enter on your keyboard.
Grant Registry Editor administrative permission (User Account Control) and continue.
Step 3: Paste the path below into the address bar of the Registry Editor and press Enter on your keyboard.
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftTabletTip1.7
Step 4: Double-click on EnableAutocorrection.
Step 5: Change the value (in the Value data box) from 1 to 0 and click OK.
This will turn off automatic correction for your computer. To reactivate it, restart your PC and follow steps 1 to 4.
Step 6: Then change the value data of the EnableAutocorrection registry file from 0 to 1.
2. Change the keyboard language
Changing your PC’s default keyboard language or region can help restore the AutoCorrect feature. From research, we found that some Windows 10 users worked with AutoCorrect again by changing their keyboard language from American English (American) to British English. The Windows AutoCorrect feature may not be fully optimized for your preferred keyboard or language. Change your keyboard language and see if that helps.
Step 1: Launch the Windows Settings menu and select “Time & Language”.
2nd step: In the left pane, select Language.
Step 3: Click on your PC’s default language.
Step 4: Then click on Options.
Step 5: Select the option “Add a keyboard”.
Step 6: Choose United Kingdom (QWERTY) from the list or in your preferred language.
That’s not all. The next step is to make the newly added keyboard language the default input language for your PC.
Step 7: Go back to the Windows Settings menu and select Devices.
Step 8: Select Input from the left menu.
Step 9: Scroll down to the “Other Keyboard Settings” section and click “Advanced Keyboard Settings”.
Step 10: Click the drop-down button in the “Override Default Input Method” section and select “UK English” as the default language for your keyboard.
3. Install the language pack
Another effective way to troubleshoot AutoCorrect issues is to check if the correct keyboard language pack is installed on your Windows computer. For example, you should have a British English language pack installed on your PC if you want Windows to automatically correct the word in British English. You need to install the respective language packs on Windows for the feature to work accordingly.
Follow the steps below to download and install a language pack for the language you want your PC to correct automatically.
Step 1: Launch the Windows Settings menu and select “Time & Language”.
2nd step: In the left pane, select Language.
Step 3: In the Preferred languages section, click on “Add a preferred language”.
Step 4: Enter the language you want to add in the search box. You can also search for a language by entering a country / region name.
Step 5: Select the language you want to add and click Next.
Step 6: Click Install to begin downloading and installing the keyboard on your computer.
Note: This process requires an active internet connection.
Wait for the downloads to complete and check if the autocorrect works now.
Eliminate grammatical errors
Updating how your PC is running can also help fix this – if there’s a bug that’s causing it, it is. And if the autocorrect doesn’t work for a particular app, launch the Microsoft Store and update it. You can also troubleshoot the app using the methods in our guide on how to fix broken Windows apps. For non-UWP (Universal Windows Platform) applications, you may need to resort to third-party grammar checking tools to take advantage of even more advanced features such as autocorrect, plagiarism detection, synonym suggestion, etc.
Then:
Keyboard shortcuts promote productivity and give a new appreciation for the Windows operating system. Read the article below to see a full list of Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts.
Last updated on Nov 11, 2020
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