Managing the Microsoft Teams Spell Checker
Microsoft Teams includes a built-in spell checker that automatically flags misspelt words with a distracting red squiggly line. While helpful for formal business communication, this feature can become incredibly irritating if you frequently type in multiple languages, use internal company jargon, or discuss technical code snippets that the dictionary does not recognise. If your chat box is constantly filled with unnecessary red lines, disabling the spell checker is the best solution.
Turning Off Spell Check in Microsoft Teams
You can disable the spell check feature directly within the Teams application settings.
1. Open the Microsoft Teams desktop application.
2. Click on the three-dot menu icon (Settings and more) located next to your profile picture in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings from the drop-down list.
4. In the left-hand sidebar, ensure you are on the General tab.
5. Scroll down to the Language section.
6. Look for the checkbox labelled Enable spell check.
7. Untick the checkbox to disable the feature immediately.
You may need to restart Microsoft Teams for the changes to fully take effect across all active chat windows and channels.
Managing OS-Level Spell Checking
If you have disabled the spell checker in Teams but are still seeing red underlines, your operating system may be enforcing its own spell-checking rules. On Windows 11, you can disable system-wide auto-correction by opening the Windows Settings app, navigating to Time & language > Typing, and turning off the Highlight misspelled words option. This will stop Windows from injecting red lines into desktop applications like Teams.