How to Turn Off AutoCorrect in Word 2007

Many writers prefer manual correction over the AutoCorrect feature in Word 2007.

The AutoCorrect feature in Word 2007 can be a blessing, but sometimes it can be a burden. It can often change slight misspellings without you realizing it to a word you had no intention of using. You may miss the correction as the word was never underlined in red to call the misspelling to your attention. And this can result in an unintelligible sentence. This can make editing slower than if you have the AutoCorrect feature off. You can turn off one or multiple AutoCorrect features.

Instructions

1. Click the round "Office" button in the top left corner of a Word 2007 document. A small screen will pop up with a list of icons on the left and a list of "Recent Documents" on the right of the pop-up screen. At the bottom right of that screen in small font will be two buttons: "Word Options" and "Exit Word."

2. Click "Word Options." A new small screen will pop up. On the left will appear a list of options: Popular, Display, Proofing, etc.

3. Click "Proofing." In the right bigger section you'll find the options that fit under the subject of proofing. At the top you will see a section and button titled "AutoCorrect Options...".

4. Click the "AutoCorrect Options..." button to make another small screen appear over the proofing screen. Make sure you are on the "AutoCorrect" tab with a list of boxes that are checked.

5. Read each description carefully next to each checked box. Remove checks from one or all AutoCorrect features you wish to stop. To specifically stop auto spelling corrections, remove the check from the box at the bottom labeled "Automatically use suggestions from the spelling checker."

6. Click on the tab labeled "AutoFormat." Review the checked boxes carefully in this section to determine what features, if any, you wish to discontinue. Repeat for the remaining tabs within this screen.

7. Click on the large "OK" button at the bottom right of the screen when you are finished turning off the desired AutoCorrect features. Click on the large "OK" button at the bottom right of the proofing screen to close it and finish confirming your selections. Changes will be effective for all documents moving forward.

Tips & Warnings

• The following keyboard shortcuts will get you to the "AutoCorrect Options" screen: Click "Alt" and "F" followed by the letter "I" and then click the down arrow twice, which will bring up the "Proofing" screen. Click "Alt" and "A" to open the "AutoCorrect Options" screen.

• To use keyboard shortcuts in the "AutoCorrect Options" screen, use the tab button to move from field to field. When a feature you want to remove a check from is highlighted, click the space bar. To move between tabs, click the "Tab" button until the tab name is highlighted and then use the right and left arrows to change tabs.

Resources

• Microsoft: Word Solution Center