5 Reasons Grammarly Isn't Working Properly on Mac

Most Grammarly issues on Mac fall into one of five categories. Understanding them helps you either fix the problem or recognise that the limitation is by design - and decide whether a different tool solves it better. Some of these are genuine bugs with fixes; others are architectural constraints with no workaround.

1. Grammarly Only Works in Browsers - Not in Native Mac Apps

This is the most common source of confusion. Grammarly on Mac is a browser extension. It integrates into web pages rendered inside Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge - and nowhere else. Mail, Pages, Numbers, Calendar, TextEdit, Notes, and every other native Apple app are completely outside Grammarly's reach.

This is not a bug. Grammarly's architecture on Mac requires a browser rendering pipeline to inject its suggestions into text fields. Native Mac apps do not have one. There is no setting to enable, no version of Grammarly to install, and no workaround that changes this. Grammarly's browser extension is active in roughly 86% of desktop sessions for Grammarly users - but it only reaches around 25% of text input fields in a typical Mac workflow, because most writing happens outside browsers.

If you write in Mail, Pages, or TextEdit and expect Grammarly to correct your text there, it will not. The correct alternative is a tool that works at the OS level, not the browser level. How to check grammar in every Mac app covers the options in detail.

2. Grammarly Does Not Work in Slack Desktop, VS Code, or Discord

Even if you know Grammarly is browser-only, Slack, VS Code, and Discord feel like exceptions - they look like native apps, and you might expect Grammarly to reach them. They are actually Electron apps: applications built on Chromium that render content independently from your browser. The Grammarly browser extension cannot inject into Electron's rendering layer.

The practical consequence is significant. The Slack desktop app on Mac receives no Grammarly correction whatsoever. The same is true for VS Code, Discord, Notion desktop, Linear, Figma (text fields), and dozens of other popular Electron apps. The web version of Slack - opened in Chrome or Safari - does work with Grammarly, because it is a standard browser page. But switching to the web app to get spell check is not a realistic daily workflow.

Charm addresses this specifically. It uses macOS accessibility APIs rather than browser injection, which means it reaches Electron app text fields directly. Spells and Polish work in Slack, VS Code, and Discord the same way they work in Mail or Pages.

3. Grammarly Keyboard Shortcut Conflicts

Grammarly's suggestion acceptance shortcuts can conflict with keyboard shortcuts inside the apps you are writing in. The most common issue is Cmd+Z: pressing Cmd+Z to undo a Grammarly suggestion can trigger the host app's undo history instead, leading to confusing behaviour where text disappears unexpectedly. This is a genuine bug rather than a design constraint - it arises from the way browser extension keyboard event handling interacts with the host page's own shortcuts.

The fix is to use the mouse to dismiss or accept Grammarly suggestions rather than keyboard shortcuts in contexts where conflicts occur. Some users also report that disabling Grammarly's keyboard navigation in its settings (the Grammarly extension options page) reduces conflicts. This issue does not affect all users and is most noticeable in complex browser-based editors like Google Docs or Notion web.

4. Grammarly Suggestions Appear in a Sidebar, Not Inline

Grammarly surfaces detailed suggestions in a sidebar panel rather than correcting inline as you type. Accepting a suggestion requires moving attention from the text to the sidebar, clicking the suggestion, and returning to writing. For users who want corrections to appear silently in the text - the model used by macOS autocorrect and Charm - this context-switching breaks writing flow.

This is a design choice rather than a malfunction. Grammarly's approach prioritises showing you the suggestion and the reason for it before applying a change, which has value for deliberate editing. But for fast-paced writing - emails, Slack messages, meeting notes - a sidebar interrupt is disruptive. If the suggestions appear correctly but the experience feels too slow or interruptive, this is the reason: Grammarly is built for review-mode editing, not flow-state writing.

5. Grammarly Processes All Your Text on Its Servers

This is not a malfunction - it is the correct and documented behaviour. Every piece of text you write in a Grammarly-enabled field is sent to Grammarly's servers for processing. This is stated in Grammarly's privacy policy and is how the service works. For most casual use, this is not a significant concern. But for users handling confidential documents - legal contracts, medical records, financial reports, client communications under NDA - sending that text to a third-party server is a genuine issue rather than a paranoid one.

For sensitive professional content, the implication is that Grammarly should be disabled in those contexts. The alternative is an on-device tool: Charm processes everything locally by default. Your keystrokes never leave your Mac. The optional enhanced grammar mode requires an OpenAI API key, but the core Spells and Polish features run entirely on-device with no server connection required. See Is Grammarly safe on Mac for a detailed breakdown of the privacy implications.

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn't Grammarly work in Mac apps?

Grammarly on Mac is a browser extension only. It integrates into web pages in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge - not into native Mac applications. Mail, Pages, Notes, Slack desktop, and VS Code are all outside Grammarly's reach. This is a design constraint with no fix - Grammarly has never offered a native Mac app layer.

Does Grammarly work in Slack desktop on Mac?

No. Slack is an Electron app and renders content independently of your browser, so the Grammarly browser extension cannot inject into it. The Slack web app opened in Chrome or Safari does work with Grammarly. Charm, which uses the macOS Accessibility API, works in the Slack desktop app directly.

Why isn't Grammarly showing suggestions?

If Grammarly is not showing suggestions in a browser tab, check that the extension is enabled for that site - click the Grammarly icon in the toolbar and toggle it on. If Grammarly is not showing suggestions in a native Mac app or Electron app, this is expected: Grammarly only works inside web browsers on Mac.

Is there an alternative to Grammarly that works in every Mac app?

Yes. Charm uses the macOS Accessibility API to reach every text field on your Mac - native apps, Electron apps, and browsers. It includes real-time spelling correction, grammar correction, and word prediction. All processing is on-device. It costs $9.99 as a one-time purchase and requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Why does Grammarly work in some apps but not others on Mac?

Grammarly works in browser tabs because its extension can inject into web pages. It does not work in native or Electron apps because those apps do not use browser rendering pipelines that extensions can access. The distinction is about rendering technology, not app quality - there is no setting that changes this.