Spell check and Editor missing in Word Online (works only with English language settings)

Ola Henningsson 80 Reputation points
2025-10-30T10:02:19.93+00:00

For some time now, the spell check function has not been working in Word Online. When I right-click on a misspelled word (marked with a red underline), no suggestions appear. The same issue occurs when I use the "Spelling" option under the "Review" tab—nothing happens.

Additionally, the Editor feature, which could be an alternative, is completely missing from the menus. There is no Editor icon available anywhere in the interface.

However, when I switch the language settings for Microsoft 365 services to English, both spell check and Editor start working as expected. This suggests the issue may be related to language-specific functionality or availability.

I have tried using different browsers and accounts, but the issue persists when using Swedish language settings. Is this a known problem, and is there a workaround or fix available?

Thanks in advance for any help or guidance!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For education | Windows
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  1. Liora D 5,720 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-30T11:47:48.3333333+00:00

    Dear @Ola Henningsson,

    Thank you for contacting Microsoft Q&A. 

    Based on your description, I understand that spell check and Editor are not working in Word Online when Swedish is selected, but everything works fine with English. I reviewed Microsoft’s official documentation, and here’s what I found: 

     

    According to Microsoft guidance, Swedish supports: 

    •  Spell check 
    • Grammar check 
    • Writing refinements (clarity, inclusive language, formal tone) 

    The Swedish Editor guidance includes rules for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, inclusive language, and more. This confirms that Swedish is a supported language for Editor. 

     

    Although Swedish is supported for spelling and grammar checks, the Editor panel in Word Online is currently available only in English, French, German, and Spanish (source). 

    This means you can still get basic spell check in Swedish, but the full Editor interface will not appear unless the service language is one of those four. 

     

    Workarounds you can try 

    1. Check the editing language in Word app (if posible) 

     Go to Review > Language > Set Proofing Language, select Swedish, and make sure Do not check spelling or grammar is not selected. 

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    2. Sign in with your Microsoft 365 account 

     This ensures Editor features are fully available. 

    3. Change your Microsoft 365 service language to English 

     Visit account.microsoft.com/profile > Language Preferences. 

    Since Swedish is supported for Editor features but the panel is limited to certain languages, I recommend submitting feedback to Microsoft so the team can prioritize expanding the Editor interface for Swedish in Word Online. You can do this via Help > Feedback in Word Online. 

    User's image

    I hope this information helps point you in the right direction. If you run into any issues while trying the steps, or if something still doesn’t feel quite right, please don’t hesitate to reach out again. I’ll do my best to support you however I can.  

    Looking forward to hearing back from you with any updates or additional details. 

    Warm regards, 

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    2 people found this answer helpful.
  2. Stefan Blom 319.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-10-30T21:07:27.4066667+00:00

    The issue you are describing is a bug with some language versions of Word online. I believe the bug is known to Microsoft, but you may still want to report it via Help > Feedback.

      

    P.S. Note that if you are able to use the full version of Word for Windows, you will not experience these spellcheck issues.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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