How to Turn Off Autocorrect on Mac Without Disabling Spell Check

While macOS’s built-in text prediction and automated spelling correction are designed to save time on mobile devices, they frequently prove exasperating on a Mac desktop or MacBook. Programmers typing variable names, writers working with technical terminology or uncommon jargon, and multilingual users typing in multiple languages often find macOS aggressively changing their intended words without permission the moment they press the Spacebar.

Many users erroneously believe that stopping this behaviour requires disabling spell check entirely. In reality, macOS allows you to separate automatic replacement from visual spell checking, letting you keep the helpful red underline notifications while completely stopping macOS from altering your text automatically.

Step 1: Open System Settings

Global text input behaviours are managed within macOS keyboard preferences:

1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your menu bar.
2. Select System Settings… (or System Preferences… on older macOS releases).
3. In the left sidebar, scroll down and select Keyboard.

Step 2: Adjust Text Input Settings

With the Keyboard settings pane open:

1. Locate the section labelled Text Input on the right-hand side.
2. Click the Edit… button positioned directly next to Input Sources.
3. In the modal sheet that appears, locate the toggle labelled Correct spelling automatically.
4. Switch the toggle for Correct spelling automatically to the Off position.

Step 3: Keep Spell Check Underlines Active

To ensure macOS still flags genuine typographical errors without modifying your keystrokes:

1. In the same Text Input dialogue, ensure that Check spelling is set to Automatic by Language (or your primary preferred language).
2. Make sure the toggle for Capitalise words automatically is adjusted according to your personal preference.
3. Click Done in the bottom-right corner to save your preferences.

Step 4: Verify the New Typing Behaviour

Open TextEdit, Pages, or Safari and test the configuration:

1. Type an intentionally misspelled technical word or code identifier (such as configfile or usrbin).
2. Press the Spacebar.
3. Notice that macOS no longer automatically swaps the word out for an unwanted dictionary substitution. Instead, a discreet red dotted underline appears beneath the text.
4. If you ever wish to see suggested corrections, simply right-click (or Control-click) the underlined word to reveal replacement options at your leisure.