Office Settings & Configuration

How to Turn Off Purple Underlines and Suggestions in Microsoft Word

Steve K Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to remove purple underlines and automated suggestions that interfere with text editing and prevent the document from saving properly.

How to Turn Off Purple Underlines and Suggestions in Microsoft Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Editing a text document after a recent software update.
Observed behavior: Purple underlines appear beneath the text. Rejecting suggestions deletes the text entirely, and the document fails to save to OneDrive until the pending changes are addressed.

Before you start

Ensure your internet connection is stable and check your OneDrive sync status to prevent any unsaved data loss before modifying document markup settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable Track Changes and Hide Markup

Use this solution if the purple lines are caused by active tracked changes. Disabling this feature and resolving edits will return the document to a normal state.

Track Changes is a feature used for collaborative editing. When enabled, any typing or deletion is marked with colored underlines or strikethroughs. Resolving these marks often fixes OneDrive sync issues caused by pending edits.

Open the Review tab

Launch Microsoft Word, open your document, and click on the 'Review' tab located in the top ribbon.

Turn off Track Changes

Find the 'Tracking' group and click the 'Track Changes' button to toggle it off. This prevents new edits from being marked.

Change the display view

Click the display menu dropdown next to Track Changes (usually labeled 'All Markup') and select 'Original' or 'No Markup' to hide the purple underlines.

Accept or reject existing edits

To permanently remove the tracking marks, go to the 'Changes' group and click 'Accept All Changes' or 'Reject All Changes' depending on whether you want to keep the modifications.

Saving Restored: Once all tracked changes are accepted or rejected, Word should resume automatically saving your document to OneDrive without conflicts.

Solution 2

Turn Off Microsoft Editor Proofing Features

Use this solution if the purple lines are grammar, style, or writing-assistance suggestions generated by Microsoft Editor.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did purple underlines suddenly appear in my Word document?

Purple underlines typically appear after a Microsoft Office update introduces new Microsoft Editor style features, or if the Track Changes feature was accidentally enabled via a keyboard shortcut while editing.

Why does Word delete my text when I reject a suggestion?

If rejecting a suggestion removes your text entirely, it means the purple mark is a Tracked Change where a text deletion was proposed by an editor. You must click 'Reject Change' to restore your original text, or 'Accept Change' to allow the deletion.

Can unresolved Editor suggestions prevent my document from saving to OneDrive?

Yes, heavily marked documents with pending tracked changes or complex Microsoft Editor conflicts can sometimes cause OneDrive sync delays. Accepting or rejecting all markup usually clears the conflict and allows the document to save normally.

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