Spell check not working on outlook email. Options tab is not available to click to get to spell check.

Dear @Susie W,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft 365 Q&A forum community about the spell check issue in your Outlook email, specifically the problem where the "Options" tab is not available or clickable to access the proofing settings. 

In the New Outlook experience, the traditional "Options" tab and classic "Spelling and Grammar" check are replaced by the Microsoft Editor. Your issue is likely caused by the Editor feature being disabled or by a privacy setting preventing it from running. 

If the Editor button is missing or grayed out, or if the immediate solution does not fix the issue, you need to check the Privacy Settings and Language Settings, as these are the common causes in New Outlook. 

Option 1: Repair Outlook app

1. Close Outlook and all Office apps. 
2. Open Setting > App > Installed apps 
3. Find Outlook for Window and right-click on it and select Advanced option. 
4. Choose Repair Option. 
5. Restart your computer after the repair is complete. 

This process will fix most common issues with Outlook Office apps without affecting your personal files. 

Option 2: Enable Connected Experiences 

The Microsoft Editor is considered a "connected experience" that analyzes your content. If privacy settings block these, the Editor (and thus spell check) will not function. 

1. Click the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner of the main Outlook window. 
2. In the Settings pane, go to General > Privacy and data. 
3. Under the Privacy settings section, ensure the toggle switch for "Turn on optional connected experiences" or "Turn on experiences that analyze your content" is turned ON. 
4. Restart Outlook completely for the change to take effect. 
   

Option 3: Verify default proofing language 

If the language for your email is incorrectly set to "Do not check spelling," the feature will be disabled. 

1. In new Outlook, in an email message you're composing, on the Options tab, select Editor > Editor Settings. 
2. In the dialog, select text predictions turn on, and corrections spelling/ grammar turn on. 

For example: 

For more details, please refer to Microsoft’s official documentation: Change your spell check language in Outlook - Microsoft Support 

Note on manual check: If the settings are correct but you need a quick check, press the F7 key while composing a new email. This is the universal shortcut to manually initiate the spelling and grammar check. 

Please note that as a forum moderator, I don’t have access to backend tools or internal systems to investigate further, and certain settings or configurations are managed exclusively by your organization’s administrators, so I’m unable to check or make changes on that side. That said, I truly hope these suggestions help you move forward.  

Please let me know if you have any further questions or if the problem persists after trying these solutions. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.  

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