How to Remove Red Underlined Text in Word

Microsoft Word has a handy built-in spelling and grammar checker, which lets you know if you make any typos or mistakes. It does this by adding a wavy red underline to the offending word(s). However, some users may find this bothersome or confusing, and want to know how to remove red underlined text in Word.

This guide shows you how it’s done, listing multiple methods you can try.

Method 1. Fix Any Errors

As stated above, the red underline appears if and when Word detects any spelling or grammar mistakes. So, one of the easiest ways how to remove underlined text in Word is to fix those mistakes.

Step 1. Right-click on the word or phrase that has the red line underneath. Word should then offer some suggestions about how to fix it, which you can click on to automatically add to your document, replacing the wrong word or phrase with the right one. You can also click the “Spelling” button to see suggestions in greater detail and accept whichever one best suits your needs.

Method 2. Use the Ignore or Add to Dictionary Features

In some cases, Word might put some red underlined text under a word that it doesn’t recognize. It can do this with names of people or places, as well as any made-up terms you might use if you’re writing some sort of fantasy story, for example. In those cases, since there isn’t a real error to fix, you could try using the “Ignore” or “Add to Dictionary” buttons instead.

Step 1. Right-click on the word or phrase with the red line underneath. If it’s something you want to add to your Word dictionary to use in the future without further red lines, click on “Add to Dictionary.”

Step 2. If you’d prefer to just remove the red lines, select “Ignore.” Alternatively, click on “Ignore All” to remove all red underlines from all instances of that particular word or phrase.

Method 3. Disable or Adjust the Proofing Feature

Perhaps you’re having a bug where all text is underlined in Word, or you just want to stop the red lines appearing altogether and deal with any spelling or grammar issues on your own. You can do that, too, by simply disabling or customizing the “Proofing” feature to suit your needs.

Step 1. Click on “File” and then “Options.”

Step 2. Click on “Proofing” in the menu of options along the left side. This will give you access to the “Proofing” settings, which you can now adjust as desired to suit your needs. You can change it so that Word ignores anything you write in all capitals, for example.

Step 3. To turn off red lines entirely, make sure to uncheck the boxes labeled “Check spelling as you type” and “Mark grammar errors as you type.” Then click “OK.”