Written by: Shauli Zacks
Last updated on April 25, 2024

Don’t send emails or publish updates to your social media with careless spelling or grammar mistakes. The Microsoft Editor will spot your mistakes and make suggestions in real-time, so you can avoid mistakes before anyone else can see them. The Editor software is a big improvement over the standard spelling and grammar checker that Microsoft initially integrated with Word.

While it used to be only available in Word, Microsoft has developed an extension that is compatible with most major browsers. It still uses the red and blue squiggly lines that let you know you made a mistake, and you can accept the correction with a single click of the mouse. But now, Editor uses AI to understand the context of your text, and it can correct over 150 different types of grammatical errors.

Follow the instructions below, and I’ll show you how to download and install the Microsoft Editor browser extension for free.

Download Microsoft Editor for Free!

How to Download Microsoft Editor on PC for Free

  1. Go directly to the official Microsoft Editor page.
  2. Press the Download button for your preferred browser.

  3. As long as you’re using a browser that runs on the Chromium platform, the Chrome extension page will open. If you’re using Edge, you will need to give the browser permission to install Chrome extensions. Press the Add to Chrome button.

  4. A small dialogue box will open at the top of your browser. Press the Add Extension button, and the extension will download and install on your browser. If you have a Microsoft 365 account, you can sign in and get access to advanced features. Otherwise, the extension will check for basic spelling and grammar mistakes.

Microsoft Editor Overview

After years of limiting the Editor to Word, Microsoft has improved the AI algorithm and developed a browser extension. After installing the extension, Editor checks all writing that takes place on the browser. Spelling mistakes are highlighted with a red line, basic grammar mistakes have a blue line, and suggestions for improving a sentence have a dotted blue line. Click on your mistake, and a small window will open with suggestions for correcting your mistake. Choose the best option, and Editor will replace the incorrect word with the updated correction.

Editor makes real time corrections

Microsoft Editor Features

While the free version of Editor is convenient and integrates nicely with all online writing platforms, it is extremely basic. The tool will catch all spelling mistakes and basic grammar errors, such as repeated words or missing periods and commas.

If you want to transform Editor into a comprehensive writing assistant, you will need to upgrade to the premium version.

In addition to advanced grammar checking, you’ll get access to all the Microsoft 365 tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more).

Here are some of the advanced features when you upgrade your Editor account:

Refinement Tools to Improve the Quality of Your Content

Editor has several Refinement tools that it uses to improve the quality of your writing. You can choose the tone or style of your writing (professional, formal, and casual) and Editor will base its suggestions and corrections to fit your tone. Editor can recognize over 150 different types of mistakes or areas of improvement. Here are some of the most common refinements:

Grammar: Marks up your content for incorrect capitalization, hyphen use, subject-verb agreement, indirect questions, phrases that are misused, and other basic grammar mistakes.

Editor points out incorrect comma usage

Clarity: Indicators for incorrect use of words, passive voice, double negatives, uncommon phrases, and other issues for better understanding.

Conciseness: Editor will help you remove unnecessary words that create long and hard to read sentences.

Formal language: If you’re using slang, cliches, or incorrect contractions in a formal or professional setting, Editor will highlight the words and offer a recommendation.

Vocabulary: Editor will improve the quality of your writing by highlighting weak verbs, unclear adjectives, or if you use the same word multiple times within a few sentences, and recommend a strong word, that still makes sense within the content of your writing.

Editor advises you to use specific adjective for a better impact

Guarantee Original Work

The integrated Similarity Checker compares your writing with millions of published websites and blogs to ensure you did not accidentally plagiarize anyone. This can be helpful if you’re working on a paper, writing blogs, or you receive content from someone else and want to ensure it is original.

Check your Grammar in Multiple Languages

Editor is compatible with over 20 languages. Not only that, but you can also set it to work with up to three languages at the same time.

You can try Editor Premium for free with a 30-day free trial. While you will have to enter your credit card to activate the account, you will not be charged until the trial period is over. Throughout the trial period, I’ll grant you access to our full range of premium features. This will offer you valuable insights into how our advanced grammar tools can be of benefit to you, and it will also help you identify specific areas where you can make improvements before the free trial concludes.

How to Uninstall the Microsoft Editor Browser Extension from Chrome

If the Microsoft Editor isn’t the spelling and grammar checker for you, you can remove it from Chrome in a few simple steps.

  1. Press the Extensions icon on your browser toolbar to open the menu options.
  2. Click on Manage Extensions.

  3. The browser extension page will open in a new tab. Find Editor and press the Remove button.
  4. Confirm that you want to remove the Editor extension, and Chrome will delete it from your browser.

How to Uninstall the Microsoft Editor Browser Extension from Edge

  1. Click on the Editor icon on the browser toolbar to open the extension options, and click on Manage Extension.

  2. Press the Remove button at the bottom of the Editor extension page.
  3. Confirm that you want to delete the extension, and Edge will remove it from your browser.

If you’re still looking for a writing assistant to prevent spelling and grammar mistakes, check out the free Editor alternatives below.

Free Alternatives to Microsoft Editor

  • Grammarly: Grammarly has free extensions for all major browsers. The free version will correct all typos and basic grammar errors. All mistakes are highlighted in real-time, and you can correct them by clicking on the word or group of words and accepting Grammarly’s suggestion.
  • ProWritingAid: Not only will this writing assistant correct your mistakes, but it has educational tools to improve the quality of your writing. Other tools include a textual thesaurus, plagiarism checker, and in-depth reports.

FAQ

Is Microsoft Editor free?

There are two versions of Microsoft Editor. Follow the instructions above and I’ll show you how to download the free browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and other Chromium powered browsers. The free version checks your spelling and inspects the basic grammar with real-time suggestions. However, if you want advanced grammar checking features, you will need to upgrade your account. Microsoft has a free 30-day trial, so you can try it out and see if it would help improve the quality of your writing.

Can Microsoft Editor be trusted to correct all grammatical errors?

Microsoft Editor is a good editing assistant that can recognize more than 150 categories of grammatical errors. It has 8 Refinement tools that inspect a sentence and find ways to improve it. With that being said, it’s important to remember that the program is run on AI and is not perfect. It will catch the majority of errors, but I have experienced times when it suggested a correction that I didn’t agree with.

Is Microsoft Editor compatible with Gmail. Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.?

When you download the Microsoft Editor browser extension, it automatically begins checking your writing on any browser-based platform. This includes your email, social media, chat apps, and websites. 
Download Microsoft Editor now!