To add Grammarly to Word, install Grammarly for Windows or Mac, then open your document in Microsoft Word and start typing. Grammarly appears through a floating widget or screen-edge tab, where you can review and apply suggestions. The desktop application also works with Word Online on a compatible computer.
Use the desktop application for a current installation. Grammarly says its older Windows Office add-in is being retired, and its Mac Word add-in has been discontinued.
The short version
- Desktop Word: Install Grammarly for Windows or Mac, then open Word and start typing.
- Word Online: Keep the Grammarly desktop application running while you edit in your browser.
- Review suggestions: Click an underline, the Grammarly widget, or the screen-edge tab to see corrections.
- Missing Grammarly: Check its block list, relaunch the application, and check Mac permissions and Word layout.
- Alternative: Upload your document to Grammarly’s web app and export an edited Word file, checking for formatting loss.
| Where you work | Method | Main requirement or catch |
|---|---|---|
| Windows desktop Word | Install Grammarly for Windows | Compatible Windows PC and Word in Office 2016 or newer |
| Mac desktop Word | Install Grammarly for Mac | Compatible Mac running macOS 11 or newer |
| Word Online | Run the Grammarly desktop application | The browser extension alone does not provide this integration |
| iPhone or iPad Word | Enable the Grammarly Keyboard | The active text field must allow third-party keyboards |
| iPad with a hardware keyboard | Select Grammarly and tap Check My Text | You trigger checking manually |
| Grammarly’s iPad editor | Import and export a Word document | You edit outside Word |
| Android Word | Use Grammarly’s floating assistant | Requires a supported text field and Android 9 or newer |
| Grammarly’s Android drafts | Paste, correct, and copy text back | Clearing app data or uninstalling deletes local drafts |
| Grammarly’s web app | Upload and export a Word file | Export can lose formatting and document elements |
Install Grammarly for Word on Windows
Open the Grammarly for Windows download page and select Download to follow the Microsoft Store route. The installation FAQ on that page also offers Download Grammarly. For a downloaded installer, open the file and follow the installation prompts.
Once installation is complete, open Microsoft Word, place your cursor in the document, and start typing. Look for Grammarly’s floating widget or screen-edge tab. Open that control to review your writing.
Your PC needs Windows 10 build 1903 or newer, .NET Framework 4.7.2 or newer, and at least 4 GB of RAM. Grammarly supports Word in Office 2016 and newer, including Microsoft 365. Your Microsoft 365 installation must have been installed or updated after February 2020.
Set up Grammarly for Word on Mac
Go to the Grammarly for Mac download page and select Download Grammarly in its installation FAQ. Open the downloaded file and follow the prompts. You need macOS 11 or newer and a compatible Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel Mac from 2018 onward.
Grammarly needs accessibility permission to provide writing assistance. When macOS shows the permission alert, click Open System Settings and turn on permission for Grammarly. To review it later, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security, find the permission list for apps that control your Mac, and turn on the installed Grammarly application. If it is missing from the list, click the Add button, select the application, and click Open.
Launch Word and start typing in your document. Look for Grammarly’s widget or screen-edge tab. In Word, select View > Print Layout, because Grammarly does not support Word’s Outline, Draft, or Web layouts.
Use Grammarly in Word Online
Install Grammarly for Windows or Mac before opening your document in Word Online. Open the document in your browser and start editing, then use the Grammarly widget or tab to review suggestions. The browser extension alone does not provide the supported Word Online integration.
If you see an unsupported warning, open a new browser tab, click Grammarly’s browser-toolbar icon, and turn off Check text with browser extension. Grammarly identifies its browser extension as the source of that warning. Keep the desktop Grammarly application running while you edit in Word Online.
Review and apply writing suggestions
Click an underlined word or the Grammarly widget to open a suggestion. In the tab interface, open the Grammarly tab or select Review all on a suggestion card. Click a suggestion card to apply its correction, or click the trash-bin icon to dismiss it.
On Windows, use the category buttons at the bottom of the Word suggestions panel to filter feedback. Select a category, review a correction, and click Accept to apply it.
In Word, the widget’s suggestions list can cover the next 10 pages from your cursor. Move the cursor farther into a long document to review another part. For Word’s own editing controls, see how to track changes in Word.
To open the assistant, press Shift + Ctrl + Alt + G on Windows or Shift + Ctrl + Cmd + G on Mac. Move between controls with Tab or Shift + Tab, then activate a control with Enter or Space.
Pause Grammarly in Word
Place your cursor in Word before pausing Grammarly for that application. On Windows, right-click the Grammarly widget or tab; on Mac, click the menu-bar Grammarly icon. Choose Turn off Grammarly or Turn off Grammarly for 1 hour.
To restore an application you have blocked, open Grammarly’s Settings > Block list and remove its entry. If your organization imposed the block, an administrator must lift it.
Fix Grammarly when it does not appear
Start by checking Grammarly’s Block list and removing Word if it appears there. On Mac, also confirm that accessibility permission is enabled and Word is using Print Layout. Keep only one Microsoft Office document open while troubleshooting the Mac integration.
To restore a hidden Mac tab, click the menu-bar Grammarly icon and uncheck Turn off Grammarly tab. If the menu-bar icon itself is missing and your macOS version offers these controls, open System Settings > Menu Bar > Allow in the Menu Bar. Turn on Grammarly Desktop or Superhuman Apps Manager, matching the installed application.
Next, quit Grammarly and launch it again. On Windows, click its system-tray icon, select Quit Grammarly, then launch Grammarly through Start search. On Mac, click its menu-bar icon, select Quit, then open Finder > Applications > Grammarly Desktop. Restart Word, or refresh your Word Online document.
If Grammarly still does not appear, reinstall it. On Windows, first choose Quit Grammarly from its system-tray icon. On Windows 11, right-click Start, select Installed Apps, find Grammarly for Windows, open its three-dot menu, and select Uninstall. On Windows 10, right-click Start, select Apps and Features, choose Grammarly for Windows, and select Uninstall.
On Mac, choose Quit from Grammarly’s menu-bar icon, open Finder > Applications, and move Grammarly Desktop to Trash or Bin. If it is absent, press Command + Shift + G in Finder, enter ~/Applications, and locate it there. Reinstall from the Windows or Mac download page above, then select Log in to existing account.
Edit a Word file in Grammarly’s web app
When direct Word integration is unavailable, sign in to the Grammarly web app. Click Upload to import a document, or select New doc and paste your Word text. Review corrections through the underlines or the Grammarly agent.
After editing, open the document’s three-dot menu and choose Print & export > Export to Word (.docx). Open the exported file in Word. These controls apply to the current web editor; documents labeled Classic belong to the previous editor.
This creates a separate file, and Grammarly warns that exports can lose images, charts, citations, formulas, bookmarks, comments, and columns. Copying and pasting can also lose formatting, so review the result before replacing your original. You can compare two Word documents when reviewing the original and edited versions.
Finish any layout corrections in Word before sharing the document. If your final copy needs to be a PDF, you can save your Word document as a PDF after reviewing the exported file.
Use Grammarly with Word on iPhone or iPad
Install Grammarly from the App Store on an iPhone running iOS 17.4 or newer, or an iPad running iPadOS 17.4 or newer. Open Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard, then select Grammarly. Enable full access when prompted, because online writing suggestions require it.
Open an editable text field in Word and tap the keyboard’s globe icon to select Grammarly. Type, then tap a suggestion in the suggestions bar to apply it. Tap the Grammarly icon to read its explanation.
With an iPad hardware keyboard, tap the keyboard icon and select Show Keyboard. Hold the onscreen globe icon, choose Grammarly, then write with the hardware keyboard. To review the text, tap Check My Text; checking is manually triggered in this setup. Tap a suggestion card to accept it or its trash-bin icon to dismiss it.
The keyboard method depends on Word allowing a third-party keyboard in the active text field. If you cannot select Grammarly on a managed device, contact your IT administrator to check keyboard restrictions. There is no consumer setting that overrides those restrictions.
As an alternative on iPad, open the Grammarly editor, tap Import, and select your Word document. Review suggestions in the sidebar, then tap the export icon in the upper-right corner and choose Microsoft Word (.docx).
Use Grammarly with Word on Android
On a supported device running Android 9 or newer, find Grammarly - Writing Assistant in Google Play and tap Install. Complete its setup, then open an editable Word text field and type with your preferred keyboard. Tap the floating Grammarly widget to review suggestions, then tap a correction to apply it.
The assistant works in supported editable applications, and compatibility can vary by text field. Android Go is unsupported. If you have blocked Word, open the Grammarly companion app, tap Blocked apps, and unblock Word in that list.
When the floating assistant cannot work in your Word text field, open Grammarly and tap + Add new. Paste the text, apply corrections, then tap Copy and paste it back into Word. These Android drafts are stored locally and are lost if you clear the app’s data or uninstall it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you change Grammarly to British or American English?
On Windows, click the Grammarly widget and open the gear icon in the upper-right corner, then find I write in and choose your preferred dialect. On Mac, click the menu-bar Grammarly icon, open Settings > Customization, then find I write in and choose a dialect. You can choose American, British, Canadian, Australian, or Indian English.
Can you turn off Grammarly’s generative AI and keep writing corrections?
You can turn off generative AI in your Grammarly account settings under Feature customization. This does not separately disable the AI used for ordinary writing corrections.
Why does Word show a Superhuman Go tab instead of Grammarly?
Your desktop installation can offer Superhuman Go, and only one of the two applications is active at a time. Open the Superhuman Go tab and select Review suggestions to reach Grammarly feedback. To switch back on Windows, click the system-tray Superhuman Go icon, choose Go > Settings, then turn off Use Superhuman Go. On Mac, click the menu-bar Superhuman Go icon, open Settings, and turn off Use Superhuman Go.
Can Grammarly record the writing process in Word?
You can use Authorship with a Free account or another eligible account, although organizational access may require enablement. With Grammarly’s desktop application running, open a blank Word document, click OK if the introduction appears, and save the document if you are on Mac. Click the thumbprint beside Track writing activity, optionally select Start automatically, and later open the thumbprint menu and select See report. Word tracking has a 20-page limit, and source attribution additionally requires clipboard permission.