Where to find autocorrect settings on Android

Autocorrect lives in your keyboard settings, not in a general Android menu. The exact path depends on which keyboard app you use — most Android phones come with Gboard (Google's keyboard), but some have Samsung Keyboard, Microsoft SwiftKey, or another third-party option. Open any text field, long-press the keyboard icon in the bottom right corner, and tap "Settings" or the gear icon. From there, look for "Text correction" or "Typing" — that section holds autocorrect.

If you cannot find it that way, go to Settings > Languages and input > Virtual keyboard (or On-screen keyboard), select your keyboard app, and tap Settings. The menu structure varies slightly between keyboard apps, but the autocorrect toggle is always in the text correction or typing section.

Key Takeaways

  • Autocorrect settings are in your keyboard app's settings, not in Android's main settings menu.
  • Long-press the keyboard icon while typing to reach settings faster than navigating through the full Settings app.
  • You can turn off autocorrect entirely, or keep it on but disable specific features like spell check or predictive text.
  • Different keyboard apps (Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, SwiftKey) have slightly different menu names, but all have a text correction section.
  • Turning off autocorrect does not affect voice typing or other input methods.

Turning off autocorrect in Gboard

Gboard is the default keyboard on most Android phones. While typing, long-press the Google keyboard icon (usually at the bottom right), then tap the gear icon. Go to Text correction. You will see toggles for Auto-correction, Show correction suggestions, and Spell check. Turn off Auto-correction to stop the keyboard from changing your words automatically.

If you want to keep spell check but disable the automatic replacement, turn off Auto-correction and leave Show correction suggestions on. That way the keyboard will underline misspelled words and offer fixes, but will not change them without your permission. You can also adjust the Correction level slider — moving it left makes autocorrect less aggressive, and moving it all the way left disables it.

Turning off autocorrect in Samsung Keyboard

Samsung phones use Samsung Keyboard by default. Open any text field, then go to Settings > Languages and input > On-screen keyboard > Samsung Keyboard > Smart typing. Look for Auto replace and turn it off. You can also disable Predictive text in the same menu if you do not want word suggestions as you type.

Samsung Keyboard also has a Spell check option in the same section. Turning off Auto replace stops automatic corrections, but leaving Spell check on will still flag misspelled words so you can fix them manually.

Turning off autocorrect in SwiftKey and other keyboards

If you use Microsoft SwiftKey or another third-party keyboard, the process is similar but menu names differ. Open Settings > Languages and input > Virtual keyboard, select your keyboard app, and tap Settings. Look for a section called Text correction, Typing, or Autocorrect. Most keyboards have a master toggle to turn off autocorrect entirely, plus separate toggles for spell check and predictive text.

SwiftKey specifically has an Autocorrect slider under Typing — drag it all the way left to disable it. You can also customize which types of corrections SwiftKey applies by adjusting individual toggles for capitalization, punctuation, and word replacement.

The difference between autocorrect and predictive text

Autocorrect changes words you have already typed — you type "teh" and it becomes "the" without asking. Predictive text suggests words as you type, showing options above the keyboard. You can turn off autocorrect but keep predictive text, or vice versa. Many people disable autocorrect because it changes words they meant to type, but keep predictive text because it speeds up typing by suggesting common words.

Spell check is different from both — it underlines words it thinks are misspelled but does not change them. You can have spell check on while autocorrect is off, so you see which words might be wrong but decide yourself whether to fix them.

What happens after you turn off autocorrect

Once you disable autocorrect, your keyboard will stop automatically replacing words. If you also turn off predictive text, you will not see word suggestions above the keyboard. Spell check (if you leave it on) will still underline words the keyboard thinks are misspelled, and you can tap them to see suggestions.

Turning off autocorrect does not affect voice typing, which has its own settings. It also does not change how your phone handles text in other apps — each app uses your keyboard's settings, so the change applies everywhere you type.

Turning autocorrect back on if you change your mind

If you turn off autocorrect and later want it back, go to the same menu where you turned it off and toggle it back on. The process is identical — long-press the keyboard icon, go to settings, find the text correction section, and turn Auto-correction (or Auto replace) back on. You can also adjust the correction level instead of turning it completely off, which gives you a middle ground where the keyboard is less aggressive about changing your words.

Some people turn off autocorrect for certain apps (like when typing code or technical terms) and turn it back on for others. Since autocorrect is a keyboard-wide setting, you cannot disable it for just one app — it affects all text fields on your phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my phone keep autocorrecting words I actually meant to type?

Autocorrect uses a dictionary of common words and learns from your typing patterns. If you type a word that is close to a more common word, the keyboard assumes you meant the common one. Turning off autocorrect entirely, or lowering the correction level, stops this. You can also add words to your keyboard's dictionary so it stops "correcting" them.

Can I turn off autocorrect for just one app?

No — autocorrect is a keyboard-wide setting that applies to all apps on your phone. If you need autocorrect off for one app (like when coding or typing technical terms), you will have to turn it off globally and turn it back on when you are done. Some third-party keyboards have app-specific settings, but most do not.

What is the difference between turning off autocorrect and lowering the correction level?

Turning off autocorrect disables it completely — no automatic changes at all. Lowering the correction level makes the keyboard less aggressive, so it only corrects obvious misspellings and leaves borderline cases alone. If you want some autocorrect but not as much, try lowering the level instead of turning it off entirely.

Will turning off autocorrect affect my phone's performance?

No — autocorrect uses very little processing power, so turning it off will not make your phone faster or save battery. The only difference you will notice is that your keyboard will stop changing your words automatically.

How do I add a word to my keyboard's dictionary so it stops "correcting" it?

Long-press a word that the keyboard keeps changing, and look for an option like "Add to dictionary" or "Save word". In Gboard, you can also go to Settings > Dictionary and add words manually. Once a word is in your dictionary, the keyboard will stop treating it as a misspelling.