How to turn off smart quotes in Word for Mac, and fix quotes already typed

Turn off smart quotes in Word for Mac

Start with the setting that creates the marks. Word swaps straight quotes for curly ones as you type, and the switch sits on the AutoFormat As You Type tab. Menu names move between Word releases, so your screen may differ slightly. If it does, look for AutoCorrect in the Word menu and work from there.

1. Click Word in the menu bar, then choose Preferences.
2. Choose AutoCorrect. If you don’t see it, try Tools > AutoCorrect Options.
3. Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
4. Under Replace as you type, find the box labeled “Straight quotes” with “smart quotes.”
5. Clear the box so it has no check mark, then click OK.
6. Type a word inside quote marks in a blank document to test it.

Why the setting does not fix old text

This is the part that trips people up. The AutoFormat switch only affects what you type from now on. Microsoft’s support page describes the change as happening as you type. It says nothing about text already in the file. Pasted text keeps the marks it arrived with, so a long draft can end up with both kinds.

Convert the quotes you already have

Find and Replace handles the file you already wrote. A Microsoft Q&A thread describes a 170-page document in Word for Mac 16.68 that mixed straight and curly marks from pasted text. The original poster reported 965 quote marks updated after one Replace All. The thread does not say which mark style the poster wanted in the end, and it does not explain how Word matches curly marks against a straight search. Treat it as a method to test, not a promise.

The thread’s method is simple. Two things I would add are a test copy and a check of the first matches. Turning AutoFormat off first means the marks you type into the boxes should stay straight. Confirm that with a test line before you rely on it.

1. Save a copy of the file under a new name.
2. Choose Edit > Find > Advanced Find and Replace.
3. Turn AutoFormat off first, as described above, then click into the boxes.
4. Type the straight double quote key into the Find box, then into the Replace box.
5. Click Replace All. Repeat with the straight apostrophe key in both boxes for single quotes.
6. Read the first matches in the document before you save over the original.

A worked example on a long report

Say you have a long report with quotes pasted from interviews, plus one code sample that needs straight marks to run. Start by selecting the code sample and cutting it into a scratch document. That keeps the global replace away from it. Run the double quote pass on the prose first, then read the first matches to confirm the direction.

Next, run the apostrophe pass on the prose. Scan the results for words like don’t and the possessive forms, since those are the most common apostrophes in pasted text. When the prose looks right, paste the code sample back in. Check it once more by reading it, because a straight mark that turned curly will break a command.

Does the Mac system setting cover Word?

Apple also has a switch for the whole Mac. Go to Apple menu > System Settings > Keyboard > Text Input > Edit, then turn “Use smart quotes and dashes” on or off and click Done. Apple’s guide warns that smart quotes aren’t available in all apps. Treat the system switch as a starting point, then check each app on its own.

Apple does not list which apps follow the switch. I could not confirm whether Word follows it, so don’t assume it does. Word’s own AutoFormat setting is the one to change first. To convert existing text in Mac apps that support it, select the text and choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions. Make sure the Smart Dashes and Smart Quotes boxes are selected, then click Replace in Selection, or Replace All for the whole document. Apple’s guide describes this for smart quotes, so check the result on a sample first.

Why straight quotes turn curly in the first place

Straight quotes are a typewriter habit, according to a typography guide written for lawyers. A typewriter used one key for both opening and closing quotes. Word and Mac text settings now separate the two. They swap in curly marks as you type, which looks polished in most prose. It becomes a problem when you need straight marks for code, plain text, or a house style.

Mixed marks usually come from somewhere else. Text copied from a web page, an email, or a PDF carries its own quote characters. Pasting it into Word brings those characters along. In the Q&A case, the AutoFormat setting did not fix the pasted text. That is why one file can show straight and curly quotes side by side.

Does the wrong quote style hurt your writing?

No study I found measures how often writers hit quote problems, or what those problems cost in time or grades. Treat any claim about quote style as a judgment call. The closest evidence is about spelling errors. A 2022 online experiment with 100 English speakers rated short health-forum excerpts. Two spelling errors cut the trust rating by 5.91 points on a 0 to 100 scale. Five errors cut it by 13.5 points.

Quote marks are not spelling errors. A reader may never notice a curly mark. Publishers often care more. Chicago’s Shop Talk blog says smart marks are preferred for published work, while straight marks are fine for correspondence and social media. Sources disagree on the details, so check the style guide your editor or publisher uses.

Mistakes people make when they turn it off

• Turning the setting off and expecting old quotes to change. They stay until you replace them.
• Replacing marks across a whole file when only one section needs it.
• Forgetting apostrophes. Single quotes need their own pass.
• Running a global replace on code, file paths, or inch marks.
• Skipping the copy. A bad replace is harder to undo across a long file.
• Assuming Word, Pages, and Google Docs share one setting.

Pages and Google Docs need their own check

Pages is an Apple app, but Apple warns that smart quotes aren’t available in every app. Type a sample line in Pages and check which marks appear. For Google Docs, the official autocorrect help page describes Tools > Preferences > Substitutions. It does not name a smart quotes option, so look at that tab yourself and read what’s there.

Where Lazur helps, and where it doesn’t

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac. Hold ⌥ ⌘ to ask about anything on screen, and it answers out loud. Ask where the setting is, and Lazur draws a circle and a label around it. Ask how to change it, and Lazur guides you one click at a time, waiting for each click. It does not click for you.

Lazur is not a plugin or add-in for Word. It won’t decide which quotes should change. You still choose the replace, read the results, and save the file. Lazur runs on macOS only. See /pricing for plans and the free trial.

For a writer, the useful part is the setting hunt and the checking. Ask Lazur to point at the AutoFormat tab, then move at your own pace. If you write long drafts, Word for writers on Mac covers templates and dictation in more depth.

Keep straight quotes from coming back

Settings can differ on a new Mac or a fresh Word install, so check the box at the start of each project. Put a line in your template or project notes that names the quote style your file needs. Lazur can draft that note for you, or you can set an Apple Reminders alert before you export or submit.

A short file needs one pass with AutoFormat off and a quick read. A long file needs a copy, a test on one sample section, and a read of the first matches before you save. That order catches a wrong direction early, before it spreads across the file.