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Microsoft Edge has built-in spell check, but it is not always enabled by default. And when it is enabled, it sometimes stops working after a browser update or settings change.

This guide walks through how to enable spell check in Edge, how to fix it when it breaks, and how to add proper grammar checking with a browser extension.

How To Enable Spell Check in Microsoft Edge

Edge offers two spell check modes: Basic and Enhanced. According to Microsoft’s Edge documentation, the Enhanced mode uses Microsoft Editor to provide grammar detection alongside spell checking [1]. Here is how to turn it on and choose which mode to use.

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Type edge://settings/languages in the address bar and press Enter.
3. Scroll down to the Spell check section.
4. Toggle Enable spell check to ON (the toggle turns blue when active).
5. Choose your spell check mode:
   • Basic — uses a local dictionary stored on your device. Works offline without any internet connection. Catches misspelled words only. Does not flag grammar errors.
   • Enhanced — uses Microsoft Editor, a cloud-based service. Catches spelling errors and some grammar issues. Provides contextual suggestions. Requires an active internet connection to work.

After enabling spell check, make sure your preferred language is added. In the same settings page, scroll up to Preferred languages. Click Add languages if your language is not listed. Then click the three dots next to the language and enable Use spell check for this language.

You can enable spell check for multiple languages at the same time. Edge will attempt to detect which language you are typing in and apply the correct dictionary. This is useful if you regularly switch between English and another language.

A note on privacy: Enhanced spell check sends the text you type to Microsoft servers for processing. This includes text in form fields, search boxes, email compose windows, and any other text input on any website. If you work with sensitive data — client information, medical records, legal documents, passwords — stick with Basic mode. Basic mode processes everything locally on your machine and never transmits text to external servers. Microsoft’s own documentation notes that when Enhanced mode is selected, typed text is sent to a Microsoft cloud service for processing [1].

Edge Spell Check Not Working — How To Fix

If spell check was working before and suddenly stopped, or if you just enabled it and nothing is happening when you type misspelled words, work through these fixes in order.

Fix 1: Check Spell Check Is Enabled

This sounds obvious, but Edge updates sometimes reset settings. After a major browser update, spell check can get turned off silently without any notification. According to reports on Microsoft’s Q&A forum, this is one of the most frequently reported Edge issues [2].

1. Go to edge://settings/languages.
2. Verify the Enable spell check toggle is ON (blue).
3. Check that your language is listed under Preferred languages.
4. Click the three dots next to your language and confirm Use spell check for this language is checked.

If the toggle was already on, try turning it off, waiting five seconds, and turning it back on. This forces Edge to reload the spell check dictionary from scratch. Reload any open tabs afterward.

Fix 2: Switch Between Basic and Enhanced

If Basic mode is not catching errors, try switching to Enhanced. Enhanced mode uses Microsoft Editor, which has a significantly larger dictionary and catches some grammar issues in addition to plain spelling mistakes.

If Enhanced mode is causing problems — noticeable lag when typing, slow page loads, or you have privacy concerns about text being sent to Microsoft — switch back to Basic. Basic mode is faster because it runs locally without any network requests.

To switch modes:

1. Go to edge://settings/languages.
2. Under the spell check toggle, select either Basic or Enhanced.
3. Reload any open tabs to apply the change immediately.

Sometimes simply switching from one mode to the other and back again fixes spell check issues caused by a corrupted dictionary or a stalled connection to Microsoft Editor servers.

Fix 3: Clear Edge Cache

Corrupted cache data can interfere with spell check and many other browser features. Clearing the cache is safe and only takes a minute.

1. Go to edge://settings/clearBrowserData (or press Ctrl+Shift+Delete to open this page directly).
2. Set the time range to All time.
3. Select Cached images and files. You can leave other options unchecked.
4. Click Clear now.
5. Restart Edge completely — close all Edge windows and processes, then reopen the browser.

After restarting, test spell check by typing a deliberate misspelling like “recieve” or “teh” in any text field on any website. You should see a red wavy underline appear within a second or two.

Fix 4: Reset Edge Settings

If nothing else has worked, resetting Edge to its default settings can fix deep configuration issues that other methods cannot reach. This is the last resort — it will reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs. Your bookmarks, history, and saved passwords are preserved and will not be deleted.

1. Go to edge://settings/resetProfileSettings.
2. Click Restore settings to their default values.
3. Click Reset to confirm.
4. After the reset completes, go back to edge://settings/languages and re-enable spell check with your preferred mode and language.

Only use this fix after trying the three steps above. It works reliably, but you will need to spend a few minutes reconfiguring your browser settings afterward.

Also use Outlook for email? Spell check issues in Outlook are a separate problem with different solutions. See our guide on fixing spell check in Outlook for step-by-step instructions.

Also use Gmail? Fix spell check in Gmail. For Teams: enable spell check in Teams. Need grammar checking in Notion? See our guide.

Edge Spell Check vs Chrome Spell Check

Both Edge and Chrome are built on Chromium, so their spell check systems share the same foundation. But there are important differences worth knowing.

Edge’s advantage: Enhanced spell check mode integrates with Microsoft Editor, which provides more intelligent corrections than Chrome’s built-in spell check. This includes some grammar detection and contextual spelling suggestions. For example, Editor can catch “their” vs “there” based on sentence context, while Chrome’s spell check only flags words that are not in the dictionary.

Chrome’s advantage: Chrome’s spell check works more reliably with Google’s web apps — Google Docs, Gmail, Google Sheets. If you use Google’s ecosystem heavily, Chrome has fewer compatibility issues with those services. Google Docs in particular has its own built-in grammar check that works best in Chrome.

Both browsers support extensions from the Chrome Web Store. Grammar-checking extensions like BeLikeNative, Grammarly, and LanguageTool all work identically in both Edge and Chrome. So the browser you choose matters less than you might think if you rely on an extension for grammar checking rather than the built-in spell check. If Grammarly is having issues, check its current status.

Need grammar checking in Google Docs specifically? See our detailed guide on grammar check in Google Docs for setup instructions and troubleshooting steps.

FAQ

Does Microsoft Edge have built-in spell check?

Yes. Edge has two spell check modes: Basic (offline dictionary, runs locally) and Enhanced (Microsoft Editor, cloud-based with grammar detection). Enable it by going to edge://settings/languages and toggling spell check on. Choose Basic if you handle sensitive information that should not be sent to external servers.

Can I use Chrome extensions in Edge for grammar checking?

Yes. Microsoft Edge supports Chrome extensions directly from the Chrome Web Store. Open the Chrome Web Store in Edge and install any extension you need. Grammar tools like BeLikeNative, Grammarly, and LanguageTool all work in Edge exactly as they do in Chrome, with no compatibility issues.

Why is Edge spell check not underlining misspelled words?

Most likely spell check is disabled or set to the wrong language. Go to edge://settings/languages, make sure the spell check toggle is on, and verify that your preferred language is added with spell check enabled for it. If everything looks correct, try toggling spell check off and on again, then reload your browser tabs. If that does not work, clear the browser cache at edge://settings/clearBrowserData and restart Edge.

Is Enhanced spell check safe to use in Edge?

Enhanced spell check sends your typed text to Microsoft servers for processing. For everyday browsing and personal writing, this is generally safe. However, if you work with confidential data, financial information, or passwords, use Basic mode instead. Basic mode processes all text locally on your device and never sends data to external servers.

Sources

1. How Using Microsoft Edge Can Improve Your Writing and Grammar — Microsoft Edge Learning Center
2. Spell check not working in Microsoft Edge — Microsoft Q&A