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How to Restore Active and Passive Voice Checking in Microsoft Word
Question details
The user needs to re-enable or locate the active and passive voice checking options within Word's grammar and proofing settings.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Checking a document for passive voice and writing clarity using built-in grammar tools.
- Observed behavior
- The active and passive voice options are no longer visible under the standard Proofing menu in Word version 2303 and later.
Ensure you are using Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 (version 2303 or later), as the menu layout for Grammar and Clarity settings was updated in these versions.
Enable Passive Voice Checking via Grammar Settings
Navigate through the Word Options menu to manually reactivate passive voice flags within the Clarity settings.
In newer versions of Microsoft 365, Microsoft consolidated many writing style options. The passive voice toggles are no longer top-level options but are now housed within the detailed Grammar settings under the Clarity category.
Launch Microsoft Word. Click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner of the ribbon, and select 'Options' located at the very bottom of the left-hand menu.
In the Word Options dialog box that appears, click on 'Proofing' in the left-hand navigation pane.
Scroll down to the section labeled 'When correcting spelling and grammar in Word'. Make sure the 'Writing Style' dropdown is set to 'Grammar', then click the 'Settings' button right next to it.
In the Grammar Settings window, scroll down until you locate the 'Clarity' section. Check the boxes for 'Passive Voice' and 'Passive Voice with Unknown Actor'. Click 'OK' on both dialog boxes to save your changes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the passive voice checker disappear from my Word settings?
In recent updates (version 2303 and later), Microsoft reorganized the Proofing menu. The passive voice options were moved from the main menu into a dedicated 'Clarity' sub-section within the broader Grammar settings to streamline the Editor tool.
Does the passive voice check work on older versions of Word?
Yes. If you are using Word 2016 or Word 2019, you can still check for passive voice. However, you may need to select 'Grammar & Style' from the Writing Style dropdown menu in the Proofing settings before clicking 'Settings' to find the passive voice checkbox.
Will Word automatically rewrite passive voice sentences for me?
No, Microsoft Word will only flag the passive voice sentences (usually with a blue line) and occasionally suggest an active alternative in the Editor pane. You must manually review the suggestion and click it to rewrite the sentence.
What does 'Passive Voice with Unknown Actor' mean in Word?
This setting flags sentences where an action takes place, but the person or object performing the action is completely omitted. For example, 'The report was finished' is flagged because it doesn't state who finished the report.
