How to Set Up Charm on Your Mac

Setting up Charm on your Mac takes under 2 minutes from purchase to your first automatic correction. You download the app, drag it to Applications, grant one permission in System Settings, and Charm runs silently in your menu bar - fixing spelling and grammar across every Mac app you use, with no account required and no ongoing subscription.

Step 1: Purchase and download Charm

Go to theodorehq.com/charm and click Get Charm. You will be taken to the checkout where you complete a one-time $9.99 payment. After purchase, you receive a download link and a licence key by email.

Click the download link to save the Charm .dmg file to your Mac. The file is small - under 15 MB - so the download takes only a few seconds on any connection.

Step 2: Install Charm

Open the .dmg file you just downloaded. A window appears showing the Charm app icon alongside a shortcut to your Applications folder. Drag Charm.app into the Applications folder.

Once the copy completes, eject the disk image by right-clicking it in the Finder sidebar and selecting Eject, or by dragging it to the Trash. Installation is complete - there is no installer wizard, no licence key entry at this stage, and no restart required.

Step 3: Launch Charm and grant Accessibility permission

Open Charm from your Applications folder, or use Spotlight: press Cmd+Space, type "Charm", and press Return.

On first launch, macOS will prompt you to grant Accessibility permission. This is required - Charm uses macOS Accessibility APIs to read and correct text in every app you type in. Without it, Charm cannot see what you are typing in Mail, Slack, Notes, or anywhere else.

When the prompt appears, click Open System Settings. This takes you directly to Privacy & Security > Accessibility. Find Charm in the list and toggle it to enabled. You may need to enter your Mac password to confirm.

Return to Charm - it is now active and running. The entire permission process takes about 20 seconds.

Step 4: Find Charm in your menu bar

After granting permission, the Charm icon appears in your menu bar at the top right of your screen. This is where you control everything. Click the icon to open the Charm popover, where you can toggle features, check your licence, and manage per-app settings.

Charm runs silently in the background from this point on. It launches automatically when you log in, so you never need to think about starting it. For more detail on how the spelling correction engine works day-to-day, see How to Use Charm's Spells Feature.

Step 5: Configure Spells, Polish, and Oracle

Charm has three independent features. Click the menu bar icon to toggle each one on or off.

Spells - spelling correction

On by default. Spells detects and fixes spelling errors in real time as you type, across every Mac app. Corrections happen automatically - you will not see red underlines or popups. If you already rely on macOS's built-in spelling tools, you may notice Charm is faster and more accurate. For a comparison of your options, see Best Autocorrect Apps for Mac in 2026.

Polish - grammar correction

Off by default. Toggle Polish on to enable sentence-level grammar fixing. Polish catches common grammatical errors - incorrect verb tense, subject-verb disagreement, misplaced punctuation - and corrects them as you complete each sentence. It works alongside Spells and can be enabled independently.

Oracle - word prediction

Off by default. Oracle predicts the next word as you type and shows the suggestion in light grey text directly in your text field. Press Tab to accept the prediction and continue typing. If the suggestion is not what you want, simply keep typing and it disappears. Oracle learns from your writing patterns over time. For a full walkthrough, see How to Use Oracle Word Prediction in Charm.

Most users start with just Spells enabled, then add Polish and Oracle once they are comfortable with the setup.

Step 6: Verify Charm is working

Open any app on your Mac - Mail, Slack, Notes, or even a text field in your browser. Type a deliberate misspelling, such as "teh" or "recieve". Charm should correct it automatically as you type.

If you have Polish enabled, type a sentence with a grammar error - "She don't know the answer" - and it should be corrected once you complete the sentence.

If you have Oracle enabled, type a few words and look for the grey prediction text appearing after your cursor. Press Tab to accept it.

If corrections are not appearing, confirm that the Accessibility toggle for Charm is enabled in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility. This is the only permission Charm needs. For a broader look at autocorrect on Mac, see How to Enable Autocorrect on Mac.

Optional: Disable Charm for specific apps

If you want Charm to leave a particular app untouched - a code editor where autocorrect is disruptive, or a password manager - you can exclude it in seconds.

• Switch to the app you want to exclude
• Click the Charm icon in the menu bar
• Click "Disable for [App Name]"

Charm will leave that app entirely alone while continuing to run everywhere else. You can re-enable it at any time from the same menu.

Frequently asked questions

Does Charm require an account or subscription?

No. Charm is a one-time $9.99 purchase with no account and no subscription. You buy it once and own it. A single licence covers up to 3 Macs and includes all future updates.

Why does Charm need Accessibility permission?

Charm uses macOS Accessibility APIs to read and correct text across every app. Without this permission, it cannot detect or fix typing in Mail, Slack, Notes, or anywhere else. The permission is granted once in System Settings and never needs to be set again.

Does Charm send my text to the cloud?

No. All correction happens 100% on-device. Your keystrokes never leave your Mac. Charm does not require an internet connection after installation, making it safe for confidential and sensitive content.

What is the difference between Spells, Polish, and Oracle?

Spells corrects spelling errors in real time. Polish fixes sentence-level grammar mistakes. Oracle predicts the next word as you type - press Tab to accept the suggestion. All three features can be toggled independently from the menu bar.

Can I stop Charm from correcting text in specific apps?

Yes. Click the Charm icon in the menu bar and select "Disable for [App Name]" to exclude any specific application. Charm will leave text in that app untouched while continuing to work everywhere else.