Stop your Mac changing words as you type

Why it happens

Your Mac comes with autocorrect switched on, so it quietly replaces words it thinks are misspelled. That's handy for typos but annoying for names, slang and other languages. One switch turns it off for most apps.

How to fix it

1. Open System Settings and click Keyboard in the sidebar.

2. Under Text Input, click Edit… next to Input Sources, then turn off Correct spelling automatically.

   Keyboard›Text Input›Edit…›Correct spelling automatically

3. While you're there, you can also turn off Capitalize words automatically or Show inline predictive text if those get in your way.

   Keyboard›Text Input›Edit…›Show inline predictive text

4. Click Done, then quit and reopen the app you were typing in. It picks up the change when it starts again.

Still not fixed?

1. Some apps keep their own switch. In TextEdit, Mail or Notes, open Edit, then Spelling and Grammar, and untick Correct Spelling Automatically.

   TextEdit›Edit›Spelling and Grammar›Correct Spelling Automatically

2. If one word always turns into another, a text replacement is doing it. Open Keyboard, then Text Replacements…, select it and remove it.

   Keyboard›Text Replacements…

3. Apps that aren't made by Apple, like some word processors, have their own autocorrect. Look in that app's own settings.

4. If words still change everywhere after a restart with the switch off, contact Apple Support.