Mac writing tools proofread rewrite and summarize: how to use them on macOS 27

To proofread or rewrite text with Mac writing tools, select the words, Control-click them, choose Writing Tools, then choose Show Writing Tools. From that panel you can run Proofread, rewrite in the Friendly, Professional, or Concise tone, or summarize the selection.

This guide covers each job in turn. It also covers the limits, because the tools help most when you know where they stop.

What Writing Tools does on your Mac

Writing Tools is Apple's built-in set of text helpers. You reach it from any text you can select in apps that support standard Mac text controls. Apple's Mac Help page groups the work into four jobs: proofread, rewrite, describe a change in your own words, and summarize.

The summary options go further. MacRumors lists Summary, Key Points, List, and Table. You get a short paragraph, a bullet list of main points, or a table, depending on the material.

The feature is not new. MacRumors says it first appeared in the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 betas, and its guide was first published on September 24, 2024.

Keep the panel separate from automatic checking. Macworld reports that Apple Intelligence also offers automatic proofreading and better spelling and grammar suggestions across macOS. The panel is the part you call on purpose, on the text you pick. That difference matters when you decide what to trust.

Mac writing tools setup: check the requirements first

Most problems with Writing Tools come from setup, not from the menu. Check these before you spend time on a draft.

The storage figures are maximums. Apple says usage can temporarily exceed them during and after updates. Give the Mac some room after a big update before you judge the feature.

The version row needs a closer look. Apple's page lists three versions, and other guides disagree about the minimum. Macworld says macOS 27 Golden Gate became available on September 14, 2026. Open Apple menu > About This Mac to see your version, then read Apple's page for that version. Do not rely on a single blog for the cutoff.

Language is the setup problem people hit most often. If your Mac runs in one language and Siri runs in another, the panel can look broken when it is only mismatched. Fix the language match in System Settings first, then test again.

How to proofread a draft with Writing Tools

Proofread is the best job to start with. It targets errors more than style, so you can test it on something you already wrote.

1. Select one or two paragraphs. Shorter selections are safer, as explained below.
2. Control-click the selection, choose Writing Tools, then choose Show Writing Tools.
3. Click Proofread.
4. Read every change against your original before you paste, send, or save.
5. Click Done when you finish.

According to MacRumors, proofreading checks spelling, word choice, and grammar. It also catches commonly confused words such as their and there, effect and affect, or two, to, and too. It fixes shorthand, adds missing periods and commas, and corrects quotation marks.

Two limits matter here.

First, proofread is all or nothing. You cannot accept one fix and reject another. MacRumors describes it that way, and Elephas says grammar fixes are applied as one set. If one change is wrong, fix that line by hand after the pass.

Second, it does not always catch misused semicolons, colons, or ellipses. Check punctuation in long sentences yourself.

Here is a worked example. Suppose your draft says: 'Their going to review how the new policy will effect our hours tomorrow and we need answers by noon.' Proofread should change Their to They're, effect to affect, and add a comma before and. Read the result anyway. Those are the kinds of fixes the feature is built for, but the output is still your responsibility.

Work in smaller selections. Elephas notes that very long blocks may be only partly processed. Split a long report into sections and run each one.

A simple routine keeps each pass small enough to check. Select one paragraph, run Proofread, and read the result against the original. Fix what the tool missed by hand. Move to the next paragraph only after the current one is clean. A long document done this way takes longer, but you will not miss a change you cannot see.

Rewrite in three tones: Friendly, Professional, and Concise

Apple's current Writing Tools page lists three tones: Friendly, Professional, and Concise. Each one solves a different problem.

To rewrite, select the text, Control-click it, choose Writing Tools, then Show Writing Tools. Click Rewrite, pick a tone, read the result, and click Done.

Rewrites are conservative. Elephas says repeat runs on the same passage may stop producing changes. Editing the text or switching tones forces a fresh pass. So switch tones when a second try gives you nothing new.

For a change that none of the three tones covers, use the Describe field. Type the instruction in plain words, such as 'Keep it short and end with a clear question.' Apple's page labels this field two different ways, so look for the box that takes your own instruction.

A useful test is a paragraph you wrote this week. Run it through all three tones, then read each version out loud. The one that still sounds like you is usually the right one. If none of them does, keep your original and fix only the lines that need it.

How to summarize selected text on Mac

Summaries save the most time on long material, such as a thread you have not read or a report you need in a hurry. The steps match the ones above.

1. Select one section, not the whole file.
2. Control-click the selection, choose Writing Tools, then choose Show Writing Tools.
3. Click Summary or Key Points. MacRumors also lists List and Table.
4. Compare the summary with the source before you use it.
5. Click Done.

Summaries can leave out key details, according to MacRumors. Check every name, date, deadline, and figure against the original. A summary that reads well can still drop the one sentence you needed.

Here is how that check looks in practice. Say you select a long thread from a project channel. Summarize the first third only. Then search the thread for each name and date in the summary. Repeat for the next third. Shorter blocks give you a shorter list to check. Elephas recommends smaller selections for proofreading, so the same habit is a reasonable starting point for summaries too. Test it on your own material before you rely on it.

Apple's Apple Intelligence page says some server-based features have daily usage limits that may change. If you summarize many long threads in one day, you may hit one.

Which parts need an internet connection

Apple's pages do not say which parts of Writing Tools run on the Mac and which need a connection. Elephas, a company that sells a competing writing app, says Proofread, Rewrite, and tone changes run on-device. It says Summarize, Key Points, List, Table, and Compose need a connection.

Elephas has a commercial reason to describe the feature this way, and Apple does not confirm the split. Treat it as a claim to test. Turn off your Wi-Fi, select a paragraph, and run Proofread and a tone change. Then try a summary. If the summary fails offline, you know where the line sits on your Mac.

This matters for sensitive text. Do not assume a summary stays on the Mac until you have tested it. Check Apple's privacy material for your macOS version before you paste confidential material into any AI feature.

Where Writing Tools falls short

• Proofread is all or nothing. You cannot pick individual fixes.
• Some misused semicolons, colons, and ellipses slip through.
• Long blocks may be only partly processed, so use smaller selections.
• Rewrites are conservative, and repeat runs can stop changing.
• Summaries can drop key details.
• Language rules are strict. Apple lists 16 supported languages, and device and Siri languages must match. Macs bought in mainland China are not covered.

MacRumors' guide, written during the 2024 beta, calls the feature 'not perfect'. Several limits above come from third-party guides, not from Apple's pages. Test the feature on your own text before you depend on it.

Mistakes people make with Writing Tools

People tend to make the same six mistakes. Most of them take a minute to fix.

• Running proofread on a whole report at once. Use smaller blocks.
• Accepting a tone change without reading it. Friendly can add warmth you did not mean to send.
• Trusting a summary without checking it against the source.
• Expecting it to fix your argument. It works on the writing, not the reasoning.
• Skipping the read-aloud check. Hearing the output catches rhythm problems that a panel cannot show you.
• Blaming the feature for a setup problem. A language mismatch or a turned-off Apple Intelligence looks like a broken tool.

Opinions on AI writing help are mixed. G2 reported that 55.2% of more than 1,070 verified proofreading software reviewers said they have used AI features, between October 2025 and September 2026. Another 29.3% said they had not, and 15.6% were not sure. Those reviewers chose to respond on G2, so these figures describe that group, not every Mac user.

A worked example: one email, three passes

Here is a short email draft:

'hey sorry for the late reply. Their is alot of changes on our side and i cant promise the date. can you hold the slot till friday'

Pass 1 is Proofread. It should fix the capital I, the apostrophe in can't, the spelling of a lot, and the missing question mark. It may also turn Their is into There are. Check that line yourself, because the whole set of grammar fixes arrives at once.

Pass 2 is Professional. Read whether the version still apologizes and still sounds like you. A Professional pass often removes casual openers. Make sure the request stays clear.

Pass 3 is Concise. Confirm that Friday survives the cut. If the deadline is gone, go back to pass 2 and add it back by hand.

Then choose the version that sounds like you and keeps the deadline. The tool speeds up the work, but you still choose the words.

Where Lazur fits, and where it does not

Lazur is a separate voice assistant for the Mac. It is not a plugin for Writing Tools or for any other app. It does not click buttons or run apps for you. It answers questions out loud and points at things on your screen.

Hold ⌥ ⌘, Option and Command together, and ask a question about what is on your screen. Lazur answers out loud. Ask where the Writing Tools option is, and Lazur draws a circle and a label around it. Then you click it yourself.

If your slow step is getting words down rather than editing them, hold fn to dictate text at the cursor in any app. Lazur starts with a 3-day Pro trial that needs no credit card. The trial starts when you first open the app. Check the pricing page for plans, and download Lazur to try it on your own drafts.

Next steps

1. Turn on Apple Intelligence and confirm that your device and Siri languages match.
2. Run Proofread on one paragraph you wrote this week, and read every change.
3. Run the same paragraph through all three tones, then read each version out loud.
4. Summarize one long thread, then check each name and date against the original.
5. For the errors that slip past any tool, the routine for catching typos in your own writing is a good place to start. For reading drafts aloud, see proofread by listening on Mac.