Top 11 Ways to Solve Spell Check Not Working in Google Docs
Note that some browsers such as Firefox and Chrome also have an integrated spell checker, but they do not work in Google Docs. The Google Docs menu replaces the right-click browser menu options. Here are some ways to fix the spell checking problem in Google Docs.
Let's start.
1. Reload Docs Page
This is a simple tip that can fix web applications related to bugs. Press the F5 button on your keyboard to refresh the page. See if spell checking is working now.
2. Enable spell checking
The feature may be currently disabled in Google Docs. A recent update launched by Google may have disabled it. Anyway, let's make sure. Click Tools on the menu and under Spelling and Grammar, turn on Show Spelling Suggestions and Show Grammar Suggestions.
You will notice that there is a Ctrl + Alt + X shortcut that will perform an automatic spell check and grammar check. Try that too.
3. Formatting error
Have you copied the text elsewhere? There may be code or formatting errors in the text, which are not visible otherwise. To remove it from the text, right-click on the Doc page and select Paste without formatting.
You can also use the Ctrl + Shift + V shortcut. Check if spell checking in Google Docs can now detect spelling errors.
4. Try another browser
I do not know which browser you are using, but Chrome seems to be the most popular and used browser in the world at the moment. In any case, your browser may be the culprit. A simple way to find out is to open the same Google Doc file in another browser. You can try Brave, Opera, Firefox, Vivaldi or any other browser of your choice.
If the error persists, your browser is innocent. Otherwise, you know what to do – use another browser or keep reading to find solutions.
5. Incognito mode
Let's say the Chrome browser is behaving strangely while the Google Docs spell checking feature works fine in Firefox. Now open the same Google document in incognito mode of Chrome. Most browsers offer similar functionality. If you do not see the spell checker working, it is possible that one of its extensions has become false.
If you still notice that the Google Docs spellcheck does not work, go to step 6 below. If it works, go to step 7.
6. Disable extensions or add-ons
Chrome calls extensions while Firefox calls them add-ons. In any case, they can play with the function of your browser. Most extensions are automatically disabled in incognito mode, as we saw above. Open the extension page from the menu and disable them all at the same time.
Disable all extensions and check again. Spell checking in Google Docs should work now. So, how do you know which extension is to blame? Activate half at a time and check again. Depending on the behavior of the spelling check, you will know which half is causing the error. Activate the remaining half and continue until you find the culprit. Delete this extension. You can also try an extension manager to help you.
Note: A Grammarly extension update for the Google Docs web application has laid the groundwork for me. I followed the procedure described above to find it. Disabling Grammarly corrected the error. The development team has since solved the problem.
7. Browser data and cache
Old data or cached files could interfere with the functioning of Google Docs. Open the browser and click Settings under Menu.
You will find the Clear browsing data option under the Privacy & Security tab.
You must delete cookies and cache files here. Select All Times from the drop-down menu that will choose all the cookies stored on your computer. You do not want to clear the browsing history, otherwise all your favorite sites as well as those you visited since the browser installation will be erased.
Click Clear Data Now. Note that you will need to log in again to open sites. Be sure to save all browser jobs before proceeding to this step.
8. Manual automatic correction
If the Google Docs spell check feature does not underline the misspelled word, you can try to fix it manually. Right-click on the misspelled word and you should see some suggestions.
If you think you're right or Docs does not understand the term, you can add it to the dictionary from the same menu. It's more of a temporary fix and may not work for everyone.
9. Mobile application users
If you are experiencing this problem in the Google Docs mobile app, here are some solutions that I can suggest. First and foremost, check if an update is available on Play or App Store. Secondly, you will erase the application data and cache files from the application. Open the settings and under Manage apps, search for Docs.
Click Clear Data Here and select the Clear All Data and Clear Cache options.
10. Language settings
Have you set the correct language in Google Docs? Click File and select Language to check, and choose one.
You can only choose one language at a time, so you must change it each time you work on a file with a different language.
11. Grammarly
If you still can not use Google Docs, please note that Grammarly has recently been updated with a specially developed add-on for Google Docs. It is available on Google Chrome for the moment. This means that it should also work on other Chromium-based browsers, so check if you are using one.
Spell it
A good writer will always correct his work for errors, but it is easy to monitor his mistakes. In addition, a spell checker saves a lot of time. One of the solutions mentioned above should solve the problem of the spellchecker that does not work in Google Docs. Otherwise, try Grammarly until you realize it.
Then: Google Docs does not work for you? Do you want to try a new writing tool? Check out our detailed comparison between Google Docs and Quip below.