While text prediction aims to make email composing easier, it can sometimes be an annoying distraction or just plain intrusive. The New Outlook’s feature that suggests words as you type sounds helpful — until it isn’t. For folks who prefer a more natural, uninterrupted workflow, turning off these predictions can be a game-changer. The thing is, depending on your Outlook version or your system, the settings aren’t always straightforward to find. So, here’s a rundown of some tried-and-true methods to cut the predictions and get back control of your typing.
How to Disable Text Prediction in Outlook
Method 1: Disabling Text Prediction via Outlook Settings
This is usually the go-to fix. It impacts the main settings for predictions directly in Outlook. If you notice the predictive text still pops up after turning it off, it might be because the toggle isn’t enough or you’re on a different build — modern Outlook can be buggy like that. On some setups, you might need to redo these steps after a restart.
- Open Outlook Settings: Click the gear-shaped Settings icon at the top right of Outlook.
- Access Mail Settings: Scroll or search for “Mail” in the settings pane (sometimes you need to click View all Outlook settings at the bottom).
- Locate Smart Suggestions: Under the Mail category, find the section called Compose and reply. Look for options like Show text predictions while typing or similar.
- Disable Text Predictions: Toggle off the switch for Text Predictions. You may also want to disable Suggested replies if they’re bothering you.
- Save & Exit: Close the settings pane and test by opening a new email window — predictions should be gone.
Method 2: Tweak Editor Settings (For more stubborn predictions)
This is a bit more sneaky. Sometimes Outlook’s individual email editor settings override the main ones. Basically, you open a new email, then look for the editor options — they sit in a hidden menu, sometimes accessible via a gear icon or three dots at the top of the message window. Disabling text auto-fill here can help, especially on Windows 11 or 10 systems with Office 365.
- Start a new email draft so the editor options are visible.
- Click the gear icon or the three-dot menu on the toolbar, then choose Editor Settings. If you don’t see it, try right-clicking in the compose window or checking around the ribbon.
- In the Editor window, look for options like AutoComplete or Text predictions. Turn them off.
- Close the dialog, and double-check by typing some text — predictions should be gone now.
Note, on some machines, toggling this might require restarting Outlook or even your PC for the changes to fully kick in. Not always consistent, but worth a shot.
Method 3: Change Windows Keyboard Settings (Sometimes Windows overrides Outlook)
Because, of course, Windows has to make things harder than necessary. The system-wide keyboard settings can sometimes make Outlook predictions appear anyway, especially if you’re using the built-in Windows predictive text feature.
- Press Windows key + U to open Accessibility Settings.
- Head to Keyboard in the list on the left.
- Scroll down to find Show text suggestions when typing on the physical keyboard. Turn this off.
- Also, check if Typing Insights or similar options are enabled, and disable those too.
Hitting this toggle sometimes stops those pesky suggestions from materializing in Outlook—and other apps, for that matter. It’s kinda weird how Windows settings can override app-specific options, but hey, that’s Windows for ya.
Method 4: Switch to Classic Outlook (Looks for a temporary workaround)
If nothing else works and you’re desperate, jumping back to the Classic Outlook interface might unlock hidden options. Keep in mind, this is a temporary band-aid — once you switch back to the new version, settings may revert or be reset. But for some, it’s a quick fix.
- In Outlook, go to the Help tab or click the question mark icon, then select Go to classic Outlook. If that’s not visible, try visiting Outlook settings or toggling via mail.office.com.
- While in classic mode, head to File > Options > Mail > Editor Options > Advanced.
- Uncheck options like Show AutoComplete suggestions. Save your changes.
- Now, switch back to the new Outlook, and see if the predictions are gone. Sometimes, this is a one-time fix that resets the environment.
Method 5: Additional Troubleshooting — Make sure everything’s updated
- Update Outlook: Run Windows Update or manually check for the latest Office updates. New versions sometimes fix bugs that mess with settings like this.
- Account restrictions: If you’re on a work or school account, some predictions might be controlled by policies. Check with your admin if settings are greyed out.
- Regional differences: Depending on your region, some options could be in different places—try the Outlook Web App or contact Microsoft Support.
- Mac users: As a side note, on Mac, disable predictive text with “Edit” > “Spelling and Grammar” > “Show Text Predictions”. The process is pretty different, but it exists.
This whole thing can be kinda frustrating, especially if each method interacts differently depending on your Outlook version or system setup. But, if one fix doesn’t work, another usually does — or at least reduces the predictions enough to make your email writing less annoying.
Summary
- Disable predictions through Outlook’s main settings.
- Check the email editor’s own options for predictions.
- Adjust Windows keyboard/text suggestions if predictions keep popping up.
- Try classic Outlook temporarily if all else fails.
- Make sure your Office is up to date, and consider regional or account-specific quirks.
Wrap-up
Getting rid of those annoying predictions isn’t always straightforward, but a combination of these tweaks should reduce or eliminate them. Sometimes Windows or Office throw curveballs — but with patience, it’s usually doable. Hope this saves someone a headache or two. Fingers crossed this helps.