Outlook 2010 'Check spelling as you type' grayed out

Hi,

As above really. I've searched extensively for a solution, and many point out that this feature cannot be used in Outlook 2003/2007 when Outlook is installed separately from Word...but I can't find any references to Outlook 2010 - is it the same?

I'm using Office 2010 trial, and a bought Outlook 2010. There must be a way surely? Outook comes with its own spell checker right? So I don't quite see the relevance of MS Word to all this....

Any suggestions welcome...

Thanks,

Tom

September 1st, 2010 3:24pm

Hi,

 

Based on you description for this issue, I suggest you install the full Office Suite(Office 2010 Home &Business).

 

Check whether the Check spelling works fine or not.

 

If not,

Are the Office/Outlook 2010 proofing tools installed? Installation

options -> Office shared features....

Try creating a new Outlook profile using the steps mentioned in the article below and check if it works:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/829918

If new profile works fine, open your old Outlook data file by doing the following.

Open Outlook in new profile->click File->open->Outlook data file->select Outlook.pst and click Open

 

 

Regards,

 

Harry Yuan

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September 2nd, 2010 9:43am

Yes, the issue is the same for all versions of Outlook, and yes, Outlook has its own built-in spell checker. However, that built-in spell checker does not include the "check spelling as you type" feature. If you need that feature, then you need to have Outlook and Word installed from the same suite. 
  • Marked as answer by Sally Tang Wednesday, September 08, 2010 1:31 AM
September 2nd, 2010 11:23am

I purchased Office Home & Student 2010 before realizing it didn't have Outlook.  So I purchased the stand alone version of Outlook 2010.  So is Microsoft telling me I can't get spell check as you type unless I shell out hundreds of $$ for the full suite?  Also, my Office suite is the "click to run" version.
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January 21st, 2011 9:27pm

if you are using word 2007 with outlook 2010 and are using the default install paths...

Go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\ and copy the Winword.exe file.
Go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\ and paste the Winword.exe file into this folder.
Restart Outlook 2010.  It should work now.

  • Proposed as answer by mkolber Monday, January 21, 2013 1:01 PM
January 10th, 2013 7:29pm

if you are using word 2007 with outlook 2010 and are using the default install paths...

Go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\ and copy the Winword.exe file.
Go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\ and paste the Winword.exe file into this folder.
Restart Outlook 2010.  It should work now.

Brilliant! Works perfectly. Don't forget, you need to do the copy/paste in Administrator mode.
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January 21st, 2013 1:01pm

Fantastic! Works if you have Office 2013 installed alongside Outlook 2010. Just copy winword.exe from 

Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15

to

Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14

May 15th, 2013 11:02pm

Thank you for that answer. I've battled with that one until I found this post. I'm definitely posting about it on my blog as well as linking it to this thread.
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July 3rd, 2013 8:09am

Fantastic! Works if you have Office 2013 installed alongside Outlook 2010. Just copy winword.exe from 

Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15

to

Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14


I have just tried it and it works well now. Thank you
July 3rd, 2013 8:10am

I just tried this with no luck.  Running Outlook 2010 with Office 2013.  I had to copy winword.exe from

Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15

to

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14

Then rebooted Outlook.  Still grayed out.  Any ideas?

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July 11th, 2013 8:47pm

UPDATE: I figured this out.

Need to copy WINWORD.EXE from

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15

to

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
July 16th, 2013 12:53pm

I did the exact opposite because I didn't have winword in my Office 12 folder. 
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September 24th, 2013 3:17am

if you are using word 2007 with outlook 2010 and are using the default install paths...

Go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\ and copy the Winword.exe file.
Go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\ and paste the Winword.exe file into this folder.
Restart Outlook 2010.  It should work now.


September 30th, 2013 10:03am

Brilliant...Brilliant..Brilliant..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

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December 5th, 2013 10:46am

Good find by kevintm, but copying exe's is not a great idea. Here is a better way to do it in Vista and beyond:

Start a cmd using administrator mode.
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
mklink WINWORD.EXE "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12\WINWORD.EXE"

(or change to the directories used on your system for other versions or eliminate " (x86)" if you are on a 32-bit system.

That got spell checking working for me. Thankfully, Windows finally started native support of symbolic links a few years ago.

Thanks to kevintm.  


  • Proposed as answer by Browly Wednesday, October 29, 2014 3:48 PM
December 9th, 2013 6:54pm

Yes, the issue is the same for all versions of Outlook, and yes, Outlook has its own built-in spell checker. However, that built-in spell checker does not include the "check spelling as you type" feature. If you need that feature, then you need to have Outlook and Word installed from the same suite. 

"Check spelling as you type" is a basic feature of sofware such as mail clients and the fact that Outlook cannot do it by itself is a joke. It means that Microsoft:

  1. does not respect their customers by forcing them to buy additional software they don't actually need, and/or
  2. design their software poorly enough that sharing of basic features between individual programs is not done correctly. It's ridiculous that You need an entire other program, this should be a common shared component.

I'm impressed how MS is doing it's business.

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December 24th, 2013 9:39am

Works like a charm! Your'e the man!
May 22nd, 2014 7:33pm

You are awesome!!! This method just simply solve my problem!
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July 2nd, 2014 7:44pm

Genius, just did it with Office 2013 and outlook 2010 and works like a charm.
August 28th, 2014 11:54am

hi,

reinstall MS office , You will get winword in office 12 folder.

If you have already install then repair it..

kamal

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July 4th, 2015 2:11am

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