How to Stop Google Docs from Automatically Making Text Underlined

The Auto-Formatting Underline Issue

Google Docs features an auto-correction engine that monitors your typing to apply quick formatting. However, unlike Markdown shortcuts for bold or italics (which are widely standardized), Google Docs does not have a native, built-in auto-format trigger that specifically converts plain text symbols into an underline. (Note: In standard Markdown, underscores `_like this_` create italics, not underlines.)

If you find that Google Docs is automatically underlining certain text as you type, you are almost certainly triggering a custom substitution rule that was previously set up on your account, or you are triggering the automatic hyperlink creation feature (where typing a URL automatically turns it blue and underlines it). If you are writing a document filled with web addresses or custom text strings that you do not want to be automatically formatted with an underline, you must disable the responsible automation setting.

How to Stop Automatic Underlining

You can turn off automatic hyperlinks and custom text substitutions via the Preferences menu.

1. Open a document in Google Docs.
2. Look at the top toolbar and click on Tools.
3. Select Preferences from the dropdown menu.
4. In the Preferences window, make sure you are on the General tab.
5. If URLs are automatically underlining, locate the checkbox labelled Automatically detect links and uncheck it.
6. Next, click on the Substitutions tab at the top of the Preferences window.
7. Look through the list of substitutions. If there is a rule that is replacing a specific word with an underlined version of that word (this is rare, but possible), uncheck the box next to that specific rule.
8. Click the blue OK button to save your changes.

From now on, Google Docs will stop automatically converting your text strings and URLs into formatted, underlined hyperlinks, leaving your raw text exactly as you typed it.