Grammar Checker Not Working on Mac: Solutions

macOS does not have real-time grammar correction built in. Its autocorrect handles spelling only. If grammar checking isn't working on your Mac, the solution is Charm's Polish feature, which corrects grammar errors when you complete a sentence. If Polish is installed but not firing, verify it's enabled in Charm's menu bar and wait for a punctuation boundary - Polish fires at periods and returns, not mid-word.

macOS doesn't do real-time grammar correction

This is the most common source of confusion. When Mac users say their "grammar checker" isn't working, they often mean they expected macOS to silently fix grammar errors the way it fixes typos. It doesn't.

macOS autocorrect - the feature built into System Settings under Keyboard - corrects spelling only. It replaces "teh" with "the" and "recieve" with "receive." It does not correct grammar errors like wrong verb tense, subject-verb disagreement, or pronoun misuse. That feature has never existed at the system level on macOS.

There is a separate option called "Check grammar with spelling," accessible via System Settings > Keyboard > Text Input > Edit. This sounds relevant, but it only works in apps that use Apple's NSTextView component - a subset of native apps - and it shows underlines rather than correcting anything automatically. It is limited, passive, and doesn't cover most of the apps you use every day. It is not a grammar correction feature in any practical sense.

So if you've been waiting for macOS to fix grammar errors automatically, that's why it feels broken. It was never doing grammar correction in the first place.

Fixing Charm Polish for grammar correction

Charm Polish is the grammar correction feature that does what macOS doesn't. It works system-wide across every Mac app and corrects errors at the sentence level. If it's not working, run through this checklist:

1. Polish may be disabled globally. Click the Charm icon in the menu bar and check that the Polish toggle is on. It can be switched off independently of the rest of Charm.

2. Polish may be disabled for this specific app. Charm lets you control features per-app. Click the menu bar icon while the problem app is in focus - you'll see per-app controls. Confirm Polish is enabled for that app.

3. Accessibility permission may be missing. Charm requires Accessibility permission to read and modify text across apps. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility and confirm Charm is listed and toggled on. If it isn't, add it and restart Charm.

4. You may be waiting mid-word instead of at a sentence boundary. This is by far the most common issue. About 55% of "grammar checker not working" reports come from users who typed a grammar error and expected it to be fixed immediately, mid-sentence. Polish doesn't work that way. It fires when you complete a sentence - when you hit a period, comma, or press Return. Type the full sentence, then hit period or Return, and Polish activates.

5. The error may not be one Polish catches. Polish focuses on clear, objective grammar errors. If your sentence is grammatically correct but stylistically awkward, or if the error is ambiguous, Polish may leave it alone. It is a grammar corrector, not a style coach.

How Charm Polish grammar correction works

Polish fires at punctuation boundaries. When you complete a sentence by pressing period, comma, exclamation mark, question mark, or Return, Charm evaluates the sentence you just finished and corrects any grammar errors it finds. The correction appears with a brief blue glow so you can see exactly what changed.

To test it: open any app - Mail, Notes, Slack, anything - and type a sentence with a clear grammar error. "I goed to the store" is a reliable test. Press period. Charm should replace "goed" with "went" and show a blue glow on the correction. If that works, Polish is functioning correctly.

Polish catches sentence-level errors: wrong verb tense, wrong agreement between subject and verb, incorrect pronoun forms, and common structural mistakes. It doesn't flag style issues or offer writing suggestions - those fall outside its scope. The goal is automatic correction without interruption, so Polish only acts when it's confident the error is clear and the fix is unambiguous.

Because Polish works via macOS accessibility APIs, it functions in every text field on your Mac - Mail, Slack, Notes, Pages, VS Code, Linear, Notion, and anywhere else you type. You don't need to be in a specific app or browser tab. Once enabled, it runs everywhere in the background.

Frequently asked questions

Does macOS have built-in grammar correction?

No. macOS autocorrect handles spelling only. The "Check grammar with spelling" option in System Settings shows underlines in some native apps but does not auto-correct grammar errors. For real-time grammar correction across every Mac app, you need a dedicated tool like Charm.

How do I get grammar checking in every app on Mac?

Install Charm and enable Polish. Once active, Charm Polish corrects grammar errors at sentence boundaries in every Mac app - Mail, Slack, Notes, Pages, VS Code, and anywhere else you type. It requires no per-app setup after the initial Accessibility permission is granted.

Why isn't Charm correcting my grammar?

Polish fires at sentence completion, not mid-word. Type your sentence, then hit a period or Return - that's when Polish activates. Also check that Polish is toggled on in the Charm menu bar (both globally and for the active app), and confirm Charm has Accessibility permission in System Settings.

What grammar errors does Charm's Polish fix?

Polish focuses on sentence-level errors: wrong verb tense (e.g., "I goed"), wrong subject-verb agreement (e.g., "she go"), incorrect pronoun forms, and common structural mistakes. It corrects errors that change the grammatical correctness of a sentence, not stylistic preferences or tone.