Grammarly is installed, but your Google document has no suggestions, a spinning icon, or corrections that won't apply. Start with its checking controls, then check permissions and the document itself. The fixes below cover each symptom so you can get back to writing.
Turn Grammarly checking back on
A disabled checking toggle stops Grammarly from reviewing your Google document. Open the affected Google document. Click the Grammarly icon in your browser toolbar. In Chrome, find it inside Extensions, the puzzle icon beside the address bar.
Turn on Check text with browser extension. Switch Check for writing suggestions on Google Docs off, then switch it back on. Grammarly recommends this toggle reset for Google Docs in Chrome. Reload the document.
If you also use Grammarly's desktop app, check whether it is already reviewing your writing. A gray extension icon does not establish a failure on its own, because the desktop product also uses that state when it is active.
Missing underlines don't always mean checking has stopped
No underlines? Check the sidebar before changing more settings. Some Grammarly suggestions appear there without an inline underline. Click the Grammarly button at the lower right of your document to open the sidebar.
Click a proposed correction to apply it. Hovering over an existing underline also opens a suggestion.
To open the assistant with your keyboard, press Shift+Control+Command+G on Mac or Shift+Ctrl+Alt+G on Windows. Use Tab and Shift+Tab to move between controls. Press Enter or Space to activate the selected control. Press Escape to close the assistant.
If Superhuman Go is activated in Chrome or Edge, look for its logo or tab. Open the Grammarly agent in its sidebar, or select Open Grammarly on a suggestion card. Select a suggestion, then click Accept. If neither the sidebar nor inline suggestions work, check website access next.
Give the extension access to Google Docs
Use the instructions for your browser below; sign in to Grammarly before changing Chrome or Edge permissions.
- 1.In Chrome or Edge, right-click the Grammarly toolbar icon.
- 2.Select This can read and change site data, then choose On all sites.
- 3.Restart the browser.
- 4.Reopen your Google document and test a correction.
- 5.For access limited to the open website in Edge, open Extensions > Grammarly's More actions > This can read and change site data > On [current site]. Edge supports this narrower permission; Grammarly recommends all-site access for troubleshooting.
- 6.In Safari on Mac, open Safari > Settings > Extensions > Grammarly > Edit Websites. Set Google Docs access to Allow.
Check that your browser can run Grammarly
An extension disabled in your browser cannot check a document, even with its own checking toggles turned on. In Chrome, open chrome://extensions and switch Grammarly on.
In Edge, open edge://extensions and enable Grammarly. In Firefox, open about:addons > Extensions and enable Grammarly.
On Mac, open Safari > Settings > Extensions. Select the checkbox beside Grammarly. If you use Safari profiles, open Safari > Settings > Profiles. Select your active profile, then enable Grammarly under Extensions.
For Superhuman Go in Chrome or Edge, enable Superhuman Go in the browser's extension manager. Open its toolbar popup and turn on Check text with browser extension. Turn on Check for writing suggestions on… for Google Docs, then reload the document.
Use the latest stable Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari with its corresponding Grammarly extension. Grammarly does not officially support installing its extension in Opera or Brave.
Using a private window? Give the extension separate permission for that mode. In Chrome, open chrome://extensions and Grammarly's Details page, then turn on Allow in incognito.
In Edge, open Extensions > Manage extensions > Grammarly > Details. Enable Allow in InPrivate. In Firefox, open Grammarly at about:addons. Set Run in Private Windows to Allow.
In Safari on macOS Sonoma 14 or later, select Grammarly under Safari > Settings > Extensions. Enable Allow in Private Browsing.
When corrections won't apply to one document
Use these checks when Grammarly works elsewhere but struggles with one Google document. Start with editing access, then test its page format and content.
If the document is read-only, select Request edit access. Ask its owner to grant you the Editor role. Once you have permission, select Editing from the document's mode dropdown to test direct corrections. This test does not require you to abandon Suggesting mode permanently.
For a Pageless document, choose File > Page setup > Pages > OK. Test a Grammarly correction again.
Before testing tables or footnotes, preserve the original through File > Make a copy. In the disposable copy, place the cursor in a table cell. Press Shift+F10 to open its context menu, then select Delete table.
Temporarily remove footnotes from the copy as well. Grammarly recommends testing without tables and footnotes. Check the document with Grammarly, then restore the removed content after checking.
For documents around 30 pages or longer, test a shorter document. Grammarly reports slower performance at that length, rather than a hard page limit. To work in smaller sections, copy a section into a separate document. Proofread that section with Grammarly, then transfer the corrections back to the original.
Rule out another extension
A conflicting browser extension interferes with Grammarly's website checking. Open chrome://extensions in Chrome, edge://extensions in Edge, or about:addons > Extensions in Firefox. In Safari, open Safari > Settings > Extensions.
Temporarily disable every extension except the one that checks your writing: Grammarly, or Superhuman Go if you use Go. Restart your browser, then test Grammarly in Google Docs.
If suggestions return, re-enable one other extension. Test Google Docs again. Repeat with each remaining extension until you identify the one that interrupts checking.
Update Grammarly before reinstalling it
In Chrome or Edge, open chrome://extensions or edge://extensions. Enable Developer mode, then click Update. Quit the browser, reopen it, and test Grammarly in Google Docs.
For Firefox, open about:addons and Grammarly's Manage view. Set Automatic Updates to On, then restart Firefox. For Safari, search for Grammarly in the Mac App Store. Select Update when offered.
If updating does not help in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, select Remove for Grammarly in that browser's extension manager. Open the official installation page for Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. Follow its installation route to the browser's extension store.
Select Add to Chrome, Get in Edge, or Add to Firefox. In Edge, confirm with Add Extension. Reopen Google Docs.
For Superhuman Go in Chrome or Edge, right-click the Superhuman Go toolbar icon and select Remove from Chrome or Remove from Microsoft Edge. Reinstall it from its Chrome Web Store or Edge Add-ons listing. Select Add to Chrome, or Get > Add Extension in Edge.
For Safari reinstallation, disable Grammarly under Safari > Settings > Extensions. In Finder's Applications folder, move Grammarly for Safari to Trash. Reinstall the app from its official App Store listing. Open the installed app, then enable its Safari extension again.
Tip: If Chrome marks Grammarly as corrupted, try Repair followed by Repair extension before removing it.
Clear cached files if the problem persists
In Chrome, open More > Delete browsing data. Set Time range to All time and select only Cached images and files. Click Delete data.
In Edge, open edge://settings/clearBrowserData. Set Time range to All time and select only Cached images and files. Select Clear now.
In Firefox, open the menu, then History > Clear Recent History…. Set When: to Everything and select only Temporary cached files and pages. Click Clear.
In Safari, open Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data. Select the relevant websites and click Remove; this removes website data and can sign you out. After clearing data in your browser, reopen Google Docs and sign in again where required.
If Grammarly keeps spinning or still won't check
Grammarly needs an internet connection even when Google Docs opens offline. A document that loads successfully does not establish that Grammarly is connected. Reconnect to a working internet connection, then reload your document.
Check Grammarly's official status page for an incident affecting checking. If the relevant service is unavailable, retry after it recovers.
For a continually spinning icon, open Grammarly's connection diagnostic. Run the self-diagnostic tests. If WebSockets fails, follow Grammarly's network troubleshooting instructions or ask your network administrator for help.
On a work or school device, ask IT or your Grammarly administrator to check extension installation, website access, updates, and network restrictions. Personal checking settings cannot override administrator blocks.
To keep proofreading while the integration is unavailable, open app.grammarly.com. Choose New doc to paste your text, or Upload to upload it.
If New doc is missing, turn on generative AI features on your account's Feature access page. In an organization, your administrator may need to enable Docs access for you. Review the text with the Grammarly agent, then transfer the corrections back to Google Docs.
For an alternative checker inside Google Docs, click Spelling and grammar check near the top left. Select Change or Ignore for each suggestion.
If these fixes leave the problem unresolved, select Submit a request in Grammarly Support. Include a video, your screen resolution, when the issue starts, whether the document contains images, and whether it uses Pageless. Provide an appropriate document copy if support requests one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Google Docs add-on to use Grammarly?
No. Grammarly's Google Docs integration uses its supported browser extension. It does not require a separate Google Docs Marketplace add-on.
Why are paid Grammarly suggestions missing while basic checking works?
Sign in with the same email address and authentication method used for the account that owns your subscription. Eligible paid accounts can restore disabled suggestion categories on Your preferences.
Why doesn't Tab accept Grammarly corrections anymore?
Grammarly retired Quick fix, the feature that accepted corrections with Tab. No current restoration method exists. Accept corrections through suggestion cards or use the assistant's keyboard navigation.
Can I use these browser fixes in the Google Docs mobile app?
These fixes target desktop browsers. Grammarly's iPhone and iPad keyboard and Android companion app have separate setup controls. Mobile checking requires an app field that supports Grammarly; desktop browser support does not establish compatibility with every mobile Google Docs field.