Where to find the autocorrect setting

Autocorrect lives in your keyboard settings, not in a general settings menu. On most Android phones, you reach it by opening any app where you type — Messages, Gmail, a note-taking app — and then holding down the space bar or tapping and holding the comma key until a small menu appears. Look for "Settings" or a gear icon in that menu. This takes you directly to your keyboard's own settings panel.

If that menu does not appear, go to your phone's main Settings app, scroll down to find "Languages and input" or "System," then tap "Virtual keyboard" or "On-screen keyboard." You should see your keyboard listed there — usually "Gboard" if you use Google's keyboard, or "Samsung Keyboard" on Samsung phones. Tap the name of your keyboard, then tap "Text correction" or "Typing."

Key Takeaways

  • Autocorrect settings are in your keyboard app's own settings, not in your phone's main Settings app.
  • You can turn off autocorrect completely, or turn off just the automatic replacement while keeping suggestions visible.
  • Different keyboards have different names for the same feature — look for "Auto-correction," "Text correction," or "Spell check."
  • Turning off autocorrect does not affect spell-check suggestions that appear above the keyboard; those are a separate setting.

Disabling autocorrect on Gboard (Google's keyboard)

Gboard is the default keyboard on most Android phones. Once you are in Gboard's settings, look for a section called "Text correction" — it may also say "Typing." Tap that section and you will see several options: "Auto-correction," "Block offensive words," and "Show suggestion strip."

To turn off autocorrect completely, toggle off the switch next to "Auto-correction." This stops the keyboard from automatically replacing what you type. If you want to keep seeing suggestions but do not want automatic replacement, leave "Auto-correction" off and keep "Show suggestion strip" on — this way you see options above the keyboard but have to tap them yourself.

Disabling autocorrect on Samsung Keyboard

Samsung phones use Samsung Keyboard by default. Open Settings, go to "Languages and input," then "On-screen keyboard," then "Samsung Keyboard," then "Text correction." You will see "Auto replace" — toggle this off to stop automatic corrections.

Samsung also has a separate "Predictive text" option in the same menu. This shows word suggestions as you type. You can turn off "Auto replace" while leaving "Predictive text" on if you want suggestions but not automatic changes, or turn both off for no corrections at all.

Disabling autocorrect on other keyboards

If you use a third-party keyboard like SwiftKey, Fleksy, or Microsoft Keyboard, the path is similar but the exact wording differs. Open your keyboard's settings through the same method — hold space bar or tap the settings icon in any text field — and look for "Text correction," "Auto-correction," "Spell check," or "Typing." The toggle you want is usually labeled "Auto-correct" or "Auto-replace."

Some keyboards hide this setting one level deeper. If you see a "Text correction" section, tap into it and look for "Auto-correction" as a sub-option. If you cannot find it after checking the main settings menu, try searching the keyboard's help or FAQ — the feature exists in nearly every keyboard, but the menu structure varies.

What happens when you turn autocorrect off

When autocorrect is disabled, the keyboard stops changing your words automatically. If you type "teh" instead of "the," it stays as "teh" unless you manually fix it. You will still see suggestions above the keyboard (if you have that setting on), but you have to tap the word you want — nothing happens without your action.

Turning off autocorrect does not affect spell-check, which is often a separate feature. Spell-check underlines words it thinks are misspelled with a red squiggle, but it does not change them automatically. You can turn off spell-check separately if you want no feedback at all, though most people leave it on even when autocorrect is off.

Why autocorrect sometimes does not turn off

If you turn off autocorrect and it still seems to be working, you may have turned off the wrong setting. Check that you disabled "Auto-correction" or "Auto-replace," not "Predictive text" or "Show suggestion strip." Those are different features — predictive text shows suggestions, while auto-correction applies them without asking.

Another reason autocorrect may seem to still work: some apps have their own text-correction settings that override your keyboard settings. Gmail, for example, has a spell-check option in its own settings. If autocorrect is off in your keyboard but still active in a specific app, check that app's settings for a separate text-correction toggle.

Turning autocorrect back on

If you change your mind, the process is identical — go back to your keyboard's settings and toggle "Auto-correction" or "Auto-replace" back on. The same path you used to turn it off will take you back to the same switch.

You can also turn autocorrect on and off as many times as you want without any effect on your phone's performance or data. There is no penalty for experimenting with the setting, so if you turn it off and find you miss it, you can restore it in seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off autocorrect affect my spell-check?

No. Autocorrect and spell-check are separate. Autocorrect changes your words automatically; spell-check underlines words it thinks are wrong. You can have one on and one off, or both on, or both off. They do not depend on each other.

Can I turn off autocorrect for just one app?

Not through the keyboard settings — turning it off affects all apps that use that keyboard. However, some apps like Gmail have their own spell-check setting. Check the app's settings menu if you want to disable correction only there.

Why does my keyboard still suggest words even though I turned off autocorrect?

Suggestions and autocorrect are different. Autocorrect changes your words without asking. Suggestions appear above the keyboard and wait for you to tap them. If you see suggestions but autocorrect is off, that is working correctly — you are seeing the suggestion strip, not autocorrect.

Does turning off autocorrect slow down my phone?

No. Autocorrect uses very little processing power. Turning it off will not make your phone faster or save battery. The only difference is that your typing will not be automatically corrected.

Can I customize autocorrect instead of turning it off completely?

Most keyboards do not let you customize which words autocorrect changes. You can turn it on or off, and you can add words to your personal dictionary so they are not flagged as misspelled, but you cannot pick and choose which corrections explore.