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Microsoft Editor gets an upgrade

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Hi! I’m Shruthi, a Program Manager on the Word team. I work on Editor, the assistant that powers spelling, grammar, and other intelligent writing suggestions. I’m here to share some updates we have made to Microsoft Editor. If you have ever seen or clicked on a squiggle or an underline in Word or Outlook, you are already using Editor! 

Microsoft Editor 

Microsoft Editor is designed to help you write confidently and communicate your message effectively. We’re always trying to improve the experience and the quality of the output. I’m pleased to announce a change in the way you review spelling, grammar, and other intelligent suggestions in Word for Windows.

What change did we make? 

We are introducing:  

  •  The ability to view spelling, grammar and other intelligent suggestions with one click- either left-click or right-click any underlined word. In addition, you can also press Shift+F10 or Alt+Down to display Editor suggestions.
Microsoft Editor card.

The new simplified surface to view Editor’s spelling suggestions.

  •  A dedicated and simplified view of Editor’s suggestions with the flexibility to display more information if required.
  • An upgraded Editor pane that allows for a more contextual and accessible review experience.
Microsoft Editor pane.

The upgraded pane surface to view all Editor suggestions. In this case, the speller card showcases the default state where synonyms and context are turned off to simplify the review experience.

If you have used Editor in Word on the web, you may already be familiar with this. For those familiar with the feature in Word for Windows, the good old right-click or Shift+F10 will continue to be available. Note: You can invoke Editor pane from the ribbon or by pressing F7 and then selecting a category in the pane to view its suggestions, now closer to your content. 

 Why did we make this change?  

Our reason for updating the experience can be summarized in three words: strive for simplicity. 

  • Clean interface: simplifies the process of reviewing suggestions.   
  • Dedicated experience: allows a quick, focused review experience that is free from distractions of non-Editor commands.
  • Primary click-to-view experience: more common and convenient than a right-click.
  • More contextual review experience in the Editor pane with suggestions appearing closer to the error in the document.

At the same time, we want to be mindful of your habits and not introduce a change that would disrupt your productivity. We will continue to maintain the legacy experience of reviewing suggestions through right-clicking the flagged words.

Availability  

This feature is available to Word for Windows Current Channel (Preview) users running Version 2010 (Build 13328.20000) or later. This will be coming to Word for Mac soon.

The new left-click experience is currently available in Outlook for Windows running Beta Channel Version 2010 (Build 13328.20000) or later. The full Editor pane experience will be coming to Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac soon.

Feedback

We are actively building this experience and would love your feedback. If  you have a document in Word or an email in Outlook that you’d like to proofread, click the flagged words to check out the new experience. And be sure to let us know what you think using the feedback command within Office. You can access it using Help > Feedback.

Learn what other information you should include in your feedback to ensure it’s actionable and reaches the right people. We are excited to hear from you!  Sign up for the  Office Insider newsletter, and you’ll get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month.