How can I configure the languages to be used in spellcheck or at least disable spell check (multi-tenant)

Question

How can I configure the languages to be used in spellcheck or at least disable spell check (multi-tenant)

Eamon Nerbonne 0

I've got a primary tenant that has spell check for my account correctly configured. I don't control any of the tenant-level settings (I'm not an admin in these orgs). However, when I switch to a secondary tenant, those language settings seem to be forgotten, so all text gets red squigglies unless it's english. I can open the teams settings pages while in the secondary tenant, and the list of languages appears empty. If I add the correct languages, the settings UI appears to work, yet when I leave the settings pane, they've clearly not taken effect (whereas they would have been had I been in the primary tenant mode): I'm still seeing red squigglies. If I reopen the settings, the newly added languages are gone again.

Worse than the red squigglies is the autocorrect which I can't disable, which introduces spelling errors by replacing correctly spelled words in a foreign language with similarly spelled english words.

I tried using the macos client, the web-app version, and the web-app PWA installed version; all three exhibit the same behavior.

I'd really really like to be able to communicate via teams without appearing mildly illiterate to my clients, ideally without losing spellcheck on the primary tenant either, but if that's what it costs, I'd be OK with that.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Demi Nguyen 1,585 Independent Advisor

Hello @Eamon Nerbonne,

In addition to the suggestions provided by Oliver Bennett, please try updating the preferred languages associated with your work account.

First, sign out of Teams, then open My Account – Settings & Privacy. Under Preferred languages, select "Add a language", choose the language you want to use, and save the changes.

Afterward, sign back in to Teams, switch to the secondary tenant, and check whether the spellcheck language can now be added and retained.

If you cannot add a language from the My Account page due to insufficient permissions, please contact the IT administrator of the secondary tenant and ask whether they can help update or enable the language preference for your account.

Please let me know whether this changes the behavior.

Demi Nguyen 1,585 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-10T14:34:48.4333333+00:00

Hi @Eamon Nerbonne,

Just checking in to see if you need any further assistance. If you have any follow-up questions or new updates, feel free to let me know.
Eamon Nerbonne 0 Reputation points

2026-08-11T09:38:42.2433333+00:00

The problem resolution-button had a text-box, but the message contents don't seem to appear here. But in short: I tried these steps, and neither the device-level (i.e. macos settings) nor MS-account level nor teams-primary-tenant-level language options appear to persist in the secondary-tenant teams client, even after trying to clear all caches (and thus needing to relogin). I'm still seeing red squigglies and incorrect autofixes I can't disable.
Demi Nguyen 1,585 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-11T14:24:17.81+00:00

Hi @Eamon Nerbonne,

Thank you for the update and for trying all the suggested steps.

Since the language preferences work in your primary tenant but do not persist in the secondary tenant across the Teams desktop app, web client, and PWA. At this point, I recommend contacting the IT administrator of the secondary tenant and asking them to review the account and tenant configuration. Please share the details of your testing with them, including that the languages disappear after being added and that the same behavior occurs across multiple Teams clients.

The administrator can check whether any tenant-level policy or account setting is affecting language preferences. If the configuration appears correct and the issue continues, the administrator can open a support ticket with Microsoft so that the relevant Teams team can investigate further.
Eamon Nerbonne 0 Reputation points

2026-08-12T11:51:40.6433333+00:00

Thanks, I'll try that!
Demi Nguyen 1,585 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-12T14:04:04.0533333+00:00

You’re welcome. I hope the suggested step helps resolve the language settings issue in Teams. Please feel free to share an update after testing it.

Answer 2

To resolve this across Web, Mac, and PWA clients, use these steps:

Clear Web/PWA Cache: Log completely out of the secondary tenant, open your browser settings, and clear all local storage/site data specifically for microsoft teams.
Set Languages at the System Level (macOS): Go to System Settings → General → Language & Region → Input Sources, and ensure all target languages are added to your Mac. Teams relies on native OS language packages when web-caching fails.
Turn Off Spell Check Globally (If Settings Revert): Switch back to your Primary Tenant, go to Settings → General, uncheck Enable spell check (and disable Autocorrect if visible), then switch tenants. Changes saved in the primary profile will stick globally.