Outlook changing your words and their formatting as you write them is more infuriating than invaluable? Find out here how to turn off AutoCorrect and AutoFormat in Outlook so it leaves your text alone (unless you tell it to meddle with it).
First, Better Ask Kant
Lying is possible only when everybody else tells the truth.
That, of course, means lying is surely prohibited by a fundamental moral law that makes it a condition that any rule I make for myself must also work if everyone follows that rule. I must, in other words, not claim exceptions for myself.
If everyone lies, nobody believes me, and lying is impossible for me, too. Just ask Immanuel Kant.
Now, having established that we are obviously not lying in our emails, how would we let algorithms correct our writing?
How to Disable AutoCorrect (and AutoFormat) in Outlook for Windows
(This disables classic AutoCorrect and AutoFormat actions that change the formatting and sometimes spelling as you write in Outlook. LLM-based editing tools like Microsoft Editor in Outlook are not affected.)
Time needed: 4 minutes
To disable AutoCorrect options in Outlook for Windows:
- Select File in Outlook for Windows.
- Pick Options on the screen that has appeared.
- Open the Mail category.
- Click Spelling and Autocorrect….
- Go to the Proofing category.
- Click AutoCorrect Options….
- Go to the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
- Disable auto-correct and auto-formatting options as you see fit.
What’s on this page: Here are mostly options that change the formatting (e.g., turning
*bold*intobold) but also text replacement that transforms a paragraph starting with a dash (-) into a list.
Example: To enter the standard signature separator without interference in your Outlook email signature, for instance, disable Automatic bulleted lists.
Versus AutoFormat: The AutoFormat tab has many of the same options; those are applied only when you manually run AutoFormat in Outlook.
- Switch to the AutoCorrect tab.
- Again, disable auto-correct options that interfere with your normal typing in Outlook for Windows.
What’s on this page: Besides custom text replacements and those pre-configured by Microsoft, you can enable or turn off automatic corrections for a number of frequent typos.
- Click OK.
- Click OK two times more.
Turn Off AutoCorrect and AutoFormat in Outlook for Mac
To turn off AutoCorrect and automatic formatting interfering with your writing in Outlook for Mac:
- Select Microsoft Outlook | Settings… from the menu in Outlook for Mac.
- Open the AutoCorrect section.
- Go to the AutoCorrect tab.
- Disable automatic corrections as you see fit.
What’s here: See above for options you can find on this tab. - Open the AutoFormat tab.
- Again, disable options that hinder more than they help your writing.
What’s here: See above for an overview of AutoFormat options. - Close the AutoCorrect settings window.
How to Disable AutoCorrect (and AutoFormat) in Outlook: FAQ
Is there a one-click option to turn off AutoCorrect altogether?
No.
If you set up more than one Outlook installation, you can use Outlook group policies to set them all up to your needs quickly.
Will changing Outlook AutoCorrect options affect other Office apps?
No.
The AutoCorrect settings apply only to writing in Outlook.
(How to disable autocorrect tested with Outlook for Microsoft 365 for Windows 2310–2403 and Outlook for Mac 16.78; updated April 2024)