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Office 2007 disables spelling checking in Outlook Express

You install Office 2007, Outlook Express 6 (the one that comes with Windows XP) loses most of its spell checking ability.

Office Watch friend, Peter Mc writes:

So you upgrade to Office 2007 and it breaks the spell checking in Outlook Express (as I have just discovered with my wife’s PC).

It’s true – when you install Office 2007, Outlook Express 6 (the one that comes with Windows XP) loses most of its spell checking ability.

Hunting around Microsoft Support you’ll find this:

You no longer have spell checking capabilities in some languages in Outlook Express 6.0 after you install the 2007 Microsoft Office

For “some languages” in the Subject above substitute “English, German and Spanish”.  You’re left with French spell checking.

The Microsoft non-solution is amazingly arrogant and quite incomplete. Microsoft’s answer is to tell you to go get a third party product.

Microsoft probably arrogantly assumes people will switch from Outlook Express to Outlook (amazing they don’t suggest that).

However that doesn’t allow for the high sales and strong push by Microsoft of their ‘Home and Student Edition’ which does not have Outlook 2007. If you were hoping to use Word 2007, Excel 2007 and Powerpoint 2007 combined with Outlook Express 6 (from Windows XP) then you’re in for a spelling shock.

Thankfully there are some solutions, not suggested by Microsoft:



  • If you have Office 2003, reinstall only the spell checker from there. From Setup choose the Custom option then disable all installation options except the language/s you want under Shared Features | Proofing Tools. This will work with any Office 2003 bundle or individual product like Publisher 2003 or FrontPage 2003.

  • Spell check for OE is a bit of freeware but its solution only gives access to the (US)English spell checking.

  • Upgrade from Outlook Express to its successor Windows Live Mail. This looks and acts like Outlook Express with modern features added. It’s a standalone program that will work offline and with any email account (not just Microsoft email accounts).

As Office Watch reader, Peter M says

I did give the KB article some feedback, for what little effect that will be.

It’s hard to see that Microsoft couldn’t come up with a simple fix, given the circumstances that causes Outlook Express to break must be really common.

I didn’t bother to reload Office 2003 with everything unselected but the proofing tools – it’s easier to just bad mouth Microsoft.

Of course not everyone has the earlier version available.

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