On a computer, open the Google Doc and go to Tools > Preferences > Substitutions. Uncheck the individual behaviors you want to stop, such as Automatic capitalization, Spelling corrections, or Link detection, then click OK. To switch off every automatic substitution at once, uncheck Automatic substitution instead. Autocorrect can’t be changed from the Google Docs Android or iPhone and iPad apps, so start on a desktop or laptop browser.
Where Google Docs keeps autocorrect settings
Google’s autocorrect help page is explicit about the platform limit: “You can only manage Autocorrect in Google Docs on a computer. You can’t do this on an Android or an iPhone and iPad.” If you are typing on a phone or tablet, the change has to be made later on a computer, and the setting will apply to the document wherever you open it.
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Two points shape every method below. First, a preference change affects future typing; it does not undo changes that already happened in the text. Second, the controls are separate, so you can stop one behavior and keep the rest running.
Turn off one behavior at a time
Use this method when you want to stop a specific change, such as words being capitalized or links being created automatically, while keeping other corrections active.
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- Open the Google Doc in a browser on a computer.
- Click Tools in the menu bar, then click Preferences.
- Select the Substitutions tab.
- Uncheck the control that matches the problem:
- Automatic capitalization to stop Docs from capitalizing words on its own.
- Spelling corrections to stop automatic spelling fixes.
- Link detection to stop text from being turned into a link as you type.
- Leave the other controls checked if you still want them.
- Click OK.
Turn off all automatic substitutions
If you want no automatic changes at all, uncheck Automatic substitution on the same Substitutions tab, then click OK. This is the broad switch. It can affect more than the single behavior that bothered you, so use it only when you don’t need any of the automatic changes.
| Your goal | What to uncheck | What stays on |
|---|---|---|
| Stop only automatic capitals | Automatic capitalization | Spelling corrections, Link detection, and the other controls |
| Stop text turning into links | Link detection | Automatic capitalization, Spelling corrections, and the other controls |
| Stop only spelling fixes | Spelling corrections | Automatic capitalization, Link detection, and the other controls |
| Stop every automatic substitution | Automatic substitution | Nothing from this group; this switch covers all automatic substitutions |
Stop one repeated word or symbol replacement
When the same unwanted replacement keeps happening, the target is a single substitution rather than a whole category. On the Substitutions tab, find that entry in the list and uncheck it, so future typing is no longer changed. Google’s help also notes that you can remove a substitution from the list. Removing it is useful if you never want it back; unchecking it is the easier option if you may want to restore it later.
Turn off smart quotes
Smart quotes are not handled by the same Substitutions controls in the official autocorrect help page. A Google Docs Editors Community answer from May 23, 2023 describes a different route for them:
- Click Tools, then Preferences.
- Select the General tab.
- Uncheck Use smart quotes.
- Click OK.
Because this is community guidance rather than an official Google instruction, check whether the label matches on your screen. If Google has renamed or moved the option, look through Preferences for a similar quotes setting.
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Fix curly quotes already in the document
Turning off smart quotes only affects what you type from that point on. Quotes already in the document need to be replaced. The community answer recommends using Find and Replace (in the Edit menu, choose Find and replace) and handling both directions:
- Search for each opening and closing curly variant of the single quote (‘ and ’).
- Search for each opening and closing curly variant of the double quote (“ and ”).
- Replace each variant with the straight quote you want.
Check the result after each replacement. If you handle only one direction, the document will end up with a mix of straight and curly quotes.
If the setting doesn’t seem to work
- You can’t find Tools > Preferences: you may be in the mobile app, where autocorrect cannot be managed. Open the document in a desktop browser.
- A change still happens after you unchecked it: the setting only affects future typing. Fix existing text by hand or with Find and Replace.
- Your menu labels differ from the ones above: Google may have changed the interface. Match the wording to the closest option in Preferences, and rely on the official autocorrect help page for the current names.
- Unwanted changes continue after you turned off Automatic substitution: reload the document and check the Substitutions tab again to confirm the box is unchecked.
Google’s autocorrect help page does not show a publication date in the version consulted, so if a label does not match, trust what is on your screen and check Preferences.
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