Regaining Control of Your Typing
Auto-correction is one of those features that divides the technology world. When you are frantically tapping out a text message on the tiny glass keyboard of an iPhone, having the operating system automatically fix your typos is a lifesaver.
However, when you are sitting at a physical keyboard on a Mac, auto-correction often becomes incredibly frustrating. If you work in an industry that uses highly specific terminology (like programming, medicine, or law), or if you frequently type in multiple languages, the Mac will constantly overwrite your intended words with incorrect “fixes.” The worst part is that it often makes these changes silently in the background, meaning you might send a completely nonsensical email before you realise what happened.
If you prefer to be fully responsible for your own spelling, Apple allows you to completely disable the auto-correction system across the entire macOS operating system.
How to Disable Auto-Correction Globally
Because auto-correction is handled by the operating system itself, turning it off in the main Settings app will instantly stop it from working in Apple Mail, Messages, Notes, Safari, and almost every other application on your Mac.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings from the dropdown menu (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
- Scroll down the left-hand sidebar and click on Keyboard.
- Look for the section titled Text Input and click the Edit… button next to “Input Sources.”
- A new window will slide down over your settings. Look for the toggle switch labelled Correct spelling automatically.
- Click the switch to turn it Off (it will turn grey).
- Click the blue Done button in the bottom right corner to save your changes.
Your Mac will no longer try to guess what you are typing and will immediately stop replacing your words.
How to Stop Automatic Capitalisation
Even with auto-correction turned off, you might notice that your Mac still automatically capitalises the first letter of every new sentence. If you are writing code or simply prefer an informal typing style, you can disable this as well.
In the exact same menu where you disabled auto-correction (System Settings > Keyboard > Text Input > Edit…), look directly underneath the auto-correct option for a toggle labelled Capitalise words automatically. Turn this switch off.
How to Stop the Double-Space Full Stop
Another “helpful” feature borrowed from the iPhone is the full-stop shortcut. If you press the spacebar twice in quick succession on your Mac, macOS will automatically insert a full stop (.) and a single space.
Again, if you find yourself triggering this by accident, look for the toggle in the Text Input menu labelled Add full stop with double-space and turn it off.
What Happens to Spell Check?
It is very important to understand the difference between Auto-Correction and Spell Check.
- Auto-Correction actively deletes what you typed and replaces it with a different word without your permission.
- Spell Check simply places a squiggly red line underneath a word to warn you that it might be spelled incorrectly. It does not change the word; it just highlights it so you can review it manually.
When you disable auto-correction using the steps above, Spell Check remains active. The red squiggly lines will still appear, allowing you to right-click on the misspelled word and choose the correct spelling from a list. This provides the perfect balance for most users: the Mac will point out your mistakes, but it will not force a change upon you.
