can't access Outlook "Spelling & Typing" settings on macOS

Joey Connick 0 Reputation points
2026-10-24T21:47:13.7066667+00:00

hi folks

Running Outlook version 16.113.3 (26092714) on macOS 26.6.2

I hate smart quotes and want to turn them off but when I go to "Settings", I get a b0rked view of things and cannot access the options I need to get rid of them.

example

anyone have any suggestions?

Outlook | MacOS | New Outlook for Mac | For business
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  1. Hani-Ng 2,835 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-24T22:05:28.53+00:00

    Hi Joey Connick

    You can refer to AI's answer first, as it covers the recommended troubleshooting steps for restoring the Spelling & Typing settings page and accessing the Smart Quotes option in New Outlook for Mac. According to Microsoft Support, Smart Quotes is normally managed from Outlook > Settings > Spelling & Typing.

    According to the screenshot you provided, the Spelling & Typing page does appear to be rendering incorrectly. While the spelling and grammar options are visible, the section where additional typing-related settings, including Smart Quotes, would normally appear seems to be missing or only partially displayed. This suggests the issue may be related to the Outlook settings interface itself rather than the Smart Quotes feature specifically.

    To help the community investigate further, it would be useful to know:

    • Whether other pages under Outlook Settings open and display correctly?
    • Whether the issue occurs with all profiles/accounts in Outlook or only this particular account?
    • Whether Outlook is fully up to date and the behavior persists after updating to the latest available build?

    Since you are using New Outlook for Mac with a business account, these additional details may help determine whether this is a profile-specific issue, an Outlook configuration issue, or a potential UI rendering problem in the current Outlook version.

    I hope this information helps and look forward to your response

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-24T21:47:27.24+00:00

    For current Outlook for Mac, Smart Quotes is controlled here:

    1. In Outlook, open Outlook > Settings > Spelling & Typing.
    2. In the right pane, under Typing Substitutions, turn Smart Quotes off.

    If that settings page is not usable, a reported workaround for missing or broken autocorrect/spelling settings in Outlook for Mac is:

    1. In Outlook, go to Preferences > Privacy.
    2. Turn off Connected Experiences.
    3. Restart Outlook.
    4. Go to Help > Clear Application Data.
    5. In the dialog, select only Experimental Features.
    6. Click Clear.
    7. Restart Outlook again.

    That workaround has been reported to make the autocorrect and spelling settings reappear.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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