Discover how to effortlessly disable misspelled word underlines and Auto-Correct on Windows 10+ devices using Intune Settings Catalog policies.

If you’re an IT admin tired of users complaining about intrusive spell-check features, this guide is your roadmap. We’ll walk through disabling both the misspelled word highlight (those annoying squiggles) and Auto-Correct across Windows 10 and later devices. By the end, you’ll have tailored policies that keep things smooth and professional. Let’s dive in.

Why Bother Disabling Spell Check and Auto-Correct? 

Before we get hands-on, consider the upsides:

• Fewer Interruptions: Red underlines can pull focus during typing marathons in apps like Word, Teams, or even the browser.
• Accuracy Over Assumptions: Auto-Correct might “fix” industry jargon or names, leading to errors in reports or emails.
• Uniform Experience: Enforce settings enterprise-wide, ensuring compliance without per-device tweaks.
• User Empowerment: Ironically, turning these off gives users more control over their workflow.

These tweaks are especially handy for remote or hybrid teams where device consistency is key. Plus, they’re reversible if needed – no permanent damage done.

Prerequisites 

• Access to the Microsoft Intune admin center (intune.microsoft.com) with policy creation permissions.
• Target devices running Windows 10/11, enrolled in Intune.
• A test group of users/devices to pilot the changes-safety first!

No extra downloads or tools required; everything lives in the Settings Catalog under Administrative Templates.

Step-by-Step: How to Configure in Intune

Follow these steps in your Intune portal to deploy these settings across devices:

1. Sign in to Intune Admin Center

• You need at least “Policy and Profile Manager” role permissions. 

2. Create a new Settings Catalog policy

• Navigate to Devices → Configuration → Create → New Policy. 
• Set Platform = Windows 10 and later, Profile type = Settings catalog.

3. Configure Basic Policy Details

• In the Basics tab, enter the following information: 
  • Name: Give the policy a clear Name  
    • Example: Disable Spell Check & Auto Correct
  • Description: A clear description of the policy purpose 
    • Example: Disables red misspelled word underlines and Prevents automatic text correction in Windows System Apps. 

4. Add the required Configuration Setting

• • On the Configuration settings tab, click + Add settings
  • The Settings Picker opens
  • Navigate using the category path (or search function): 
    • Administrative Templates → Control Panel → Regional and Language Options → Turn off highlight misspelled words (User)
  • Click to select Turn off highlight misspelled words
  • Then, again Navigate using the category path (or search function): 
    • Administrative Templates → Control Panel → Regional and Language Options → Turn off Autocorrect Misspelled Words
  • Select Turn off Autocorrect Misspelled Words

5. Configure the Policy State

You are now viewing the configuration for the selected settings.

• Observe the toggle switch (initially in disabled/gray state by default)
•  toggle the switch from left to right (or click it)
• Verify the toggle turns blue and displays Enabled
• Click Next

6. Configure Scope Tags (Optional)

• • If using scope tags, click + Add and select appropriate tags for administrative access control
  • This step is optional and typically skipped unless your organization uses administrative role segregation
  • If not using scope tags, click Next

7. Assign the Policy to Target Groups

• • Under Included groups, click + Add groups
  • Select the security group(s) that should receive this policy
  • Click Select to confirm group selection
  • Click Next

8. Review and Create the Policy

• • Verify all settings: 
    • Policy name and description
    • Platform (Windows 10 and later)
    • Configuration state (Enabled)
    • Assigned groups
  • If corrections are needed, click Previous to navigate back and edit
  • Click Create to deploy the policy

You should receive a confirmation message indicating successful policy creation.

Monitoring Policy Deployment Status

Checking Intune Portal Status

1. Navigate to Devices → Configuration
2. Search for or locate your newly created policies by name
3. Click on each policy to view deployment status
4. The details pane shows: 
   • Total devices targeted
   • Devices with successful application
   • Devices with pending application
   • Any devices with failures

Note: Initial policy sync can take 15-30 minutes. Allow time before investigating failures.

Applications That ARE Affected

These system-level policies affect:

• Notepad (Older app not the modern Store-based) – spelling underlines and autocorrect controlled by these policies
• WordPad – respects these system settings
• Windows Text Input – any basic text input field in Windows (search bars, file dialogs, etc.)
• Built-in Windows applications that use the default Windows spelling engine

Why Office Applications Are Not Affected

Microsoft Office applications include their own robust spelling engines that operate independently from Windows system-level settings. They have their own configuration options within each application’s settings menu. If you need to control spelling behavior in Office applications, you would need to:

1. Configure Office-specific Group Policies (if available)
2. Use Microsoft Office configuration profiles in Intune
3. Manage settings within each Office application individually

Third-Party Applications

Most third-party applications (Google Chrome, Firefox, Adobe applications, etc.) either:

• Use their own built-in spelling systems
• Integrate with Windows spelling only partially
• Maintain completely independent spell-checking

The effect on third-party apps varies by application design.

Chat & Collaboration Tools (Partial):

• Slack (Windows Desktop – Win32 version)
  Uses OS spell check in some text fields
• Skype (classic desktop client)
• Cisco Jabber (Win32)
• Zoom (chat text boxes – Win32 client)

⚠️ Some Electron apps can switch between OS spell check and their own dictionary depending on version.

Business & Line-of-Business (LOB) Apps:

• SAP GUI for Windows
• Oracle Forms / Oracle E-Business Suite clients
• Citrix-published Win32 applications
• Custom in-house WinForms/WPF apps using:
  • TextBox
  • RichTextBox
  • Windows Spell Check API (ITextServices, ISpellChecker)

Key Takeaway 

These Intune policies are system-level controls that affect only Windows’ default text correction behavior. They do not cascade down to applications that implement their own spelling engines. This is important when planning your deployment-if your organization relies heavily on Microsoft Office, disabling these Windows policies won’t prevent autocorrect in Word or other Office apps.