Office Settings & Configuration

How to Turn Off Text Suggestions in Microsoft Word and Windows

Steve K Oct 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to stop predictive text suggestions from appearing above the typing area while typing on a hardware keyboard.

How to Turn Off Text Suggestions in Microsoft Word and Windows

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Typing documents without unwanted predictive text pop-ups obstructing the view or interrupting the typing flow.
Observed behavior: Text suggestions automatically appear in a floating box above the cursor as the user types words into a document or text field.

Before you start

Check whether the text suggestions appear only when typing in Microsoft Word or if they show up in other applications like your web browser, as this determines whether you need to change Word settings or Windows system settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable Hardware Keyboard Text Suggestions in Windows Settings

Turn off the system-wide predictive text feature in Windows to stop suggestions across all applications.

In Windows 10 and 11, text suggestions are often controlled by the operating system itself rather than individual applications. Disabling this feature in Windows Settings will immediately stop the pop-ups everywhere, including in Microsoft Word.

Open Windows Settings

Click the Start button on your taskbar and search for 'Typing settings', then press Enter to open the menu.

Locate Hardware Keyboard Options

Scroll down the Typing settings page until you find the 'Hardware keyboard' section.

Toggle Off Text Suggestions

Find the option labeled 'Show text suggestions as I type' and switch the toggle to the 'Off' position.

Disable Hardware Keyboard Text Suggestions in Windows Settings

System-wide Fix: Once turned off, predictive text will instantly stop appearing in Word, Notepad, web browsers, and all other desktop apps.

Solution 2

Turn Off AutoCorrect Suggestions in Microsoft Word

Disable application-specific text suggestions directly within Microsoft Word's proofing options.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do text suggestions suddenly appear when I type on my computer?

This usually happens because a recent Windows update enabled the 'Show text suggestions as I type' feature for hardware keyboards by default. It is designed to help you type faster by offering predictive words, similar to a smartphone keyboard.

Will turning off text suggestions disable spell checking in Word?

No. Disabling predictive text suggestions only stops the floating words from popping up as you type. Your standard spell check, which underlines misspelled words in red, will continue to function normally.

How do I turn text suggestions back on if I change my mind?

You can easily re-enable them by going back into your Windows Typing settings (Start > search 'Typing settings') and toggling the 'Show text suggestions as I type' option back to the 'On' position under the Hardware keyboard section.

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