Grammarly
Check spelling, grammar and phrasing in emails, documents and browser text fields.
Last reviewed: 28 October 2026 · Applies to: Grammarly Desktop (Windows & macOS), Browser Extension & Web Editor
These instructions were checked against official Grammarly documentation on the review date. Full-sentence rewrites, tone suggestions and generative AI features depend on your subscription tier and organisation policies.
What it catches, and what to check before turning it on
Grammarly checks spelling, grammar, punctuation and conciseness in web browsers, desktop applications and its standalone web editor. Beyond catching typing slips, it reduces the time spent second-guessing whether an email sounds too abrupt or has a missing word.
Because Grammarly processes text on its cloud servers to generate suggestions, always check your employer's data-protection policy before enabling it on confidential or sensitive workplace systems, and turn it off on websites or applications that handle restricted client records.
Getting Started
- Set your language preference to British English: Open your Grammarly account settings (Account → Writing → Language preference → British English) so it does not flag UK spellings such as colour, organise or programme.
- Add workplace names and acronyms to your Personal Dictionary: Stops Grammarly underlining colleague names, product codes and sector terms.
- Review suggestions one by one: Click or tab into each suggestion card to read the explanation before choosing Accept or Dismiss.
- Use the standalone Grammarly web editor for longer drafts: Writing in app.grammarly.com provides a cleaner sidebar list of suggestions than small floating pop-ups over busy web forms.
Using Grammarly alongside other assistive technology
- The floating widget can get in the way of screen readers and magnifiers. If the floating Grammarly button steals focus or covers the corner of a text box, you can pause or disable the floating widget for specific sites in the extension menu and run checks on demand in the Grammarly web editor instead.
- Never accept all rewrites blindly. Grammarly's clarity and tone suggestions sometimes invert the meaning of a sentence or strip out important qualifications; read the full sentence back (or listen to it with text-to-speech) after accepting a rewrite.
- Avoid running multiple inline grammar overlays in the same text box. Running Microsoft Editor, a literacy toolbar and Grammarly simultaneously inside Word or Outlook can cause cursor jumps; pick one primary checker per application.
Common problems, and what to do
- It keeps suggesting US spelling (-ize, -or). Check Language preference in your Grammarly profile and change it from American English to British English.
- It slows down a long Google Doc or Word file. Turn off the live overlay while drafting and run a single proofreading pass at the end.
- It flags every technical term in your sector. Add your core 15–20 sector acronyms to your Personal Dictionary during your first week.
Short practice exercise
- Sign in to Grammarly, open your account settings, and confirm your language dialect is set to British English.
- Add one workplace acronym or colleague surname to your Personal Dictionary.
- Paste a short non-confidential draft email into a new document in the Grammarly editor, step through three suggestions one by one, and accept only the ones that keep your intended meaning.
Official Grammarly help links
Need more detailed guidance?
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