Turn Off Passive Voice in Word: Step-by-Step Clarity Method

Passive voice in Word can muddy your writing without you realizing it. I’ve seen documents transform after disabling this check, making every sentence sharper and more direct.

The setting is buried in Word’s proofing options, not where you’d expect. It takes under 2 minutes to toggle, and works the same in Word 2016, 2019, and 365. No special tools required.

You’ll notice the difference immediately: clearer sentences, stronger arguments, and a writing style that commands attention. The change is subtle but powerful for any professional document.

This method preserves all other grammar checks while giving you control over passive voice. Works across Windows and Mac versions without variation.

What Youll Need

Step-by-Step Instructions for Disabling Passive Voice in Word

Here is the method I use to ensure direct, active writing in any document.

Launch Microsoft Word and open any document. Click the File tab in the top-left corner to access the backstage view. From there, select Options at the bottom of the left-hand sidebar. This opens the Word Options dialog where all writing and proofing settings are managed.

In the Word Options window, navigate to the Proofing tab. This section controls spelling, grammar, and style checks, including passive voice detection. Verify that Check grammar with spelling is enabled—this ensures the feature works as expected.

Within the Proofing tab, locate and click the Writing Style dropdown menu. Select Grammar & Refine to access the advanced grammar settings. This step is crucial because passive voice checks are part of the grammar and style refinements.

Next, click the Settings button adjacent to the dropdown. A new window will appear with a list of writing style rules. Scroll through the list until you find the Passive sentences option under the Clarity and Conciseness section.

In the writing style settings, locate the Passive sentences checkbox. By default, this option is enabled to flag passive constructions in your text. To turn it off, simply uncheck the box. This prevents Word from underlining passive sentences with blue squiggles.

After unchecking the box, click OK to save your changes and close the settings window. Then, click OK again in the Word Options dialog to finalize the update. The changes take effect immediately in all open documents.

Return to your document and type a sentence with passive voice, such as “The report was written by the team.” If the setting was disabled correctly, you will notice that Word no longer underlines the sentence in blue. This confirms that passive voice detection is turned off.

To double-check, open a new document and repeat the test. If the feature remains disabled across all documents, the configuration is complete. If not, revisit the Proofing settings to ensure the change was applied properly.

Tips and Common Mistakes

These practical insights will save you time and frustration when adjusting Word’s writing settings.

The Settings Hierarchy: In Step 1, don’t skip verifying that “Check grammar with spelling” is enabled in the Proofing tab. This parent setting must be active for any grammar-related features, including passive voice detection, to function. I’ve seen users spend hours troubleshooting only to realize this foundational checkbox was overlooked.

Navigation Shortcut: For Step 2, instead of scrolling through the Writing Style dropdown, you can press Alt+P to jump directly to the Proofing tab. This keyboard shortcut works in all modern Word versions and saves several clicks when you’re deep in settings.

Confirmation Test: During Step 4’s verification, try both a simple passive construction (“The ball was thrown”) and a more complex one (“The report had been written by the committee”). Some older Word versions only flag obvious passives, so testing multiple forms ensures your change worked completely.

Persistence Check: After completing Step 3, open a new document before verifying. Word sometimes applies settings differently to existing vs. new documents. If the passive underline reappears in a fresh file, you’ll know the change didn’t persist and needs to be reapplied.

Frequently Asked Questions

Turning off passive voice in Word is a simple yet powerful way to make your writing clearer and more direct. Take control of your prose by enabling the passive voice checker in Word’s settings. Next, try revising a document to see the difference for yourself—your readers will thank you! 💡