Outlook 2021 Spell check not working

[Autistic_Ewok]

Good evening Team

I have recently bought Microsoft Office 2021.

I am experiencing an issue with outlook where spell check is not working when composing new emails (when I compose a reply to an email the spell check works but only sometimes)

Also it works only if I copy text from say word for example and paste it into a new email in outlook. spell check is always working in word it's just outlook. So if I type a heap of jumbled characters the spell checker doesn't underline in red (like MS word is doing) I have been though all the troubleshooting with a Microsoft support agent who has checked my settings via remote assistance and he also couldn't get it to work. He checked and said that he is having the same issue with Outlook 2021 on his work machine.

He suggested I uninstall office restart my device and then install it again.

He told me to post onto this community and engineers will see this. He said I need to wait till this gets patched via update. I have a support request number #1031370106

Hoping it wont take too long before this gets patched as atm I have to copy my email and paste it into word before sending to check for spelling mistakes!

[#2]

@Autistic_EwokI have the same issue with Outlook 2021.  Found the pressing F7 initiates a spell check.  Could not get it to display in tool bar when composing, and was grayed out at other times.

Try F7 when you want to spell check.

[#3]

Do you have the new Microsoft Editor in Outlook? That could be interfering with spell check (because it has a spell check option.)

Are you using a signature? Are you typing in the signature field?

Try disabling spell check as you type, Apply, them turn it back on.

[#4]

When the Outlook spell checker stops working, in most cases, one of the following reasons is the culprit: The spell checker and AutoCorrect aren't activated. The language settings are incorrect, and Outlook is spell checking your text in a different language.

This may help?

[#5]

@Autistic_EwokMy question is when setting up my Microsoft profile just now to be able to reply to the question here, why is Microsoft asking to enter my work email if I am a 365 user? That isn't the only option, a work email, so why are they specifically asking for only a work email? I do not have a work email (retired), but I am a 365 user.

As for the Outlook spell check feature, very surprising to see all of the experts talking about all of the options for spell check in Outlook, because this is directly from Outlook: "Although Outlook.com does not have a spell check function, many web browsers automatically check your spelling, including Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer 10 and later versions, and current versions of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Check the options for your web browser to learn more about how to check spelling."

[#6]

The question was about Outlook 2021 - that is the Outlook desktop software, not Outlook on the web.

[#7]

@Diane_Poremsky_MVP 

Hi Diane,

Thank you, I misunderstood the question then. I have been dealing with Outlook issues this week and was looking for answers regarding spell check while typing reply email messages. I thought this was the same thing, but apparently there are several options when dealing with Outlook (web based, app and Office).

[#8]

@Autistic_Ewok This may not be a direct answer to the main topic but hopefully will help someone like me who is trawling Google for an answer on spell check.

After a few days of frustration where my terrible keyboard skills were delivering many typos, and no little red line underneath to warn me, I went on a search for the answer. Nothing in the MS system worked but eventually I discovered a fix within the browser. I use Chrome so will use this as my example: Chrome settings-languages-spell check. Turns out all these had been switched off for some reason, flicked them back to on and I have my red lines again showing me how bad my keyboard skills are. 
Hope this helps someone else as there doesn't seem to be a built in spell check option for the O365 online email offering.

[#9]

@Johnjn2000 Correct. Spell check is provided by the browser, but if using Edge and have spellcheck off in the browser, you can use the Microsoft editor in Outlook on the web. 

[#10]

I turned off my VPN and spell check worked again...

[#11]

Thank you. For me it was that I was typing in the signature area (so moved that down).

[#12]

@Diane_Poremsky_MVP  Thanks, you solved my problem, I had left some blank lines above my signature, that is where I was typing. After removing the lines, all is well.

[#13]

Those blank lines will get you every time. 🙂

[#14]

@Diane_Poremsky_MVP , thanks it has help me 

[#15]

It is Microshite what do you expect.  They dont test anything!

[#16]

Haven't updated in a while, but this past week or so my emails are showing not read even after opening the message, responding to the message, or using a link from the message, and then closing what I worked on. I look at the email pane and it is still there as if I never opened it. Not a huge deal, but it is on top of multiple issues I've had with Outlook that Microsoft has shown zero interest in fixing for over a year and a half now.