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Windows 11 keeps a custom word list made from words you type or write. To erase that list, open Settings > Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization > Custom dictionary, then choose Clear your custom dictionary. You can also turn off Custom inking and typing word list; Microsoft says that switch clears the list. Windows does not provide an item-by-item editor for this system-wide list in Settings. If you need to remove one word, use the separate dictionary editor in the application where it was saved, such as Microsoft Edge or Microsoft Word.
What is the personal dictionary in Windows 11?
The Windows 11 personal dictionary is a learned custom word list. Windows adds words you type or write so its typing and handwriting features can recognize them more accurately. Microsoft describes the list as associated with your Microsoft account and usable across Microsoft products.
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This is not the same as Windows’ main spelling dictionary. It is also separate from dictionaries maintained by individual applications. A word accepted by Edge or Word may belong only to that application’s dictionary, while a word learned by Windows typing or inking belongs to the Windows custom list. Knowing which list contains a word is important before you delete anything.
The list is useful for names, technical terms, uncommon place names, abbreviations and other words that a general dictionary might flag. It can also retain misspellings or private terms that you no longer want Windows to recognize, which is why clearing it is sometimes necessary.
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How do I view and clear my personal dictionary?
Use this Windows 11 Settings path to reach the system control. The page offers a clear-all action rather than a word-by-word management screen.
- Press Windows logo key + I to open Settings.
- Select Privacy & security in the left navigation.
- Open Inking & typing personalization.
- Select Custom dictionary.
- Choose Clear your custom dictionary.
- Confirm the action if Windows displays a confirmation prompt.
Clearing removes the learned custom list. Words that Windows learned from typing or handwriting may no longer receive the same recognition or spelling treatment until Windows learns them again. The command is destructive for the current list, so note any unusual names or terms you will need to teach Windows again.
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Can I see the individual words Windows learned?
The Windows 11 Settings documentation describes a clear-all control, not an itemized viewer or editor. Do not expect the Custom dictionary page to show a selectable list from which you can remove one entry.
This limitation means the Windows control is appropriate when the whole learned list should be discarded—for example, before handing a computer to another person or after unwanted words have accumulated. It is not a precise cleanup tool when only one Windows-learned term is wrong.
How do I remove or edit just one word?
For a single-word change, first identify the application that is flagging or suggesting the word. Microsoft provides separate dictionary controls for Edge and Word; those controls affect the named application, not the Windows system custom list.
Microsoft Edge
In Edge, open Settings > Languages > Customize dictionary. Edge’s custom dictionary is the right place to manage a word that Edge itself accepted. Removing an entry there does not constitute editing the Windows 11 Custom dictionary.
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Word uses its own Custom Dictionaries dialog. It supports adding a word, selecting a word and choosing Delete, editing by deleting and adding the corrected spelling, and using Delete all. These actions apply to Word’s custom dictionary and should not be treated as Windows-wide changes.
When the source is unclear
Test the word in more than one application. If it is recognized only in Word, use Word’s dialog; if it is specific to Edge, use Edge’s language settings. If the behavior appears in Windows typing or handwriting features across applications, the system custom list is the likely source, and Settings gives you a clear-all operation rather than a single-entry deletion.
What happens if I turn off the custom inking and typing word list?
Turning off Custom inking and typing word list is an alternate destructive route. Microsoft explicitly states that turning this option off clears your custom word list.
You will find the switch under Settings > Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization. Use it only when you intend to remove the learned list; it is not a non-destructive pause button that preserves the existing entries for later restoration. After the list is cleared, Windows may need to learn uncommon words again.
If your goal is simply to stop visible predictions above the cursor, do not use this switch. Text suggestions have their own control, described below.
Is the personal dictionary synchronized to my other Windows devices?
The Windows custom list is associated with your Microsoft account. Microsoft also lists Language preferences and dictionary among Windows backup preferences that can be remembered across devices when Settings > Accounts > Windows backup > Remember my preferences is enabled.
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As a result, clearing the list can have consequences beyond the PC in front of you when the same account and synchronization choices apply. The availability of synchronization can depend on your country or region and on account choices. If an unwanted word disappears on one device but remains on another, compare the Microsoft account in use and the Windows backup preference on each device before repeating the clear operation.
Before a multi-device cleanup
- Confirm that the affected PCs use the intended Microsoft account.
- Check Settings > Accounts > Windows backup > Remember my preferences on the devices involved.
- Write down specialized terms you still need; clearing does not provide a restore list in Settings.
- After clearing, allow time for your normal typing and handwriting patterns to be learned again.
How is the personal dictionary different from text suggestions?
Text suggestions are a separate Windows feature. To control predictions shown above the cursor, open Settings > Time & language > Typing and change Show text suggestions when typing on the physical keyboard.
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| Control | Where to find it | What it changes | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom dictionary | Settings > Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization > Custom dictionary | Clears the learned custom word list | Windows typing and inking personalization |
| Custom inking and typing word list | Settings > Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization | Turning it off clears the custom list | Windows typing and inking personalization |
| Physical-keyboard text suggestions | Settings > Time & language > Typing | Shows or hides predicted words above the cursor | Visible suggestions while typing on a physical keyboard |
| Edge Customize dictionary | Edge Settings > Languages > Customize dictionary | Manages Edge’s application-specific entries | Microsoft Edge |
| Word Custom Dictionaries | Microsoft Word’s Custom Dictionaries dialog | Adds, deletes, edits or deletes all Word entries | Microsoft Word |
Turning off text suggestions does not erase the Windows learned list, and clearing the learned list does not serve as a general switch for every suggestion, speech or typing feature.
What does diagnostics collect about the dictionary?
Microsoft’s diagnostics documentation says that, when the applicable diagnostic collection is enabled, inking and typing data can include performance information and words you have added to the dictionary. The relevant settings are under Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback, including the Improve inking & typing setting.
Clearing the custom list and changing diagnostic collection are separate actions. Deleting learned words does not automatically disable online speech recognition, text suggestions, inking personalization or every other typing-related data flow. Review each control independently if your objective is privacy rather than word-list cleanup.
Which control should I use?
Choose the narrowest control that matches the problem. The table below separates scope, action, account reach and reversibility.
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| Your goal | Use this control | Result | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erase all words Windows learned from typing or handwriting | Custom dictionary > Clear your custom dictionary | Removes the current Windows custom list | There is no documented item-by-item Windows editor on this page |
| Clear the Windows list while changing personalization settings | Turn off Custom inking and typing word list | Microsoft says the custom list is cleared | Do not use it if you need to preserve the learned entries |
| Hide predicted words above the cursor | Show text suggestions when typing on the physical keyboard | Controls visible physical-keyboard suggestions | Does not edit application dictionaries |
| Delete one word accepted by Edge | Edge Settings > Languages > Customize dictionary | Changes Edge’s custom dictionary | Not a Windows-wide change |
| Delete one Word entry | Word’s Custom Dictionaries dialog | Deletes the selected Word entry | Not a Windows-wide change |
What is the safest way to clear the list?
Use a deliberate sequence rather than clearing immediately whenever a single application is involved.
- Reproduce the behavior in the application where you noticed it.
- Decide whether the behavior is a learned word, an application dictionary entry or a visible prediction.
- Use Edge’s or Word’s editor when only that application is affected.
- Use the Windows Custom dictionary clear command only when the system-wide learned list is the target.
- If several PCs are involved, check the account and Windows backup preferences before and after clearing.
- Re-teach only the terms you still need through normal typing or handwriting.
This approach avoids wiping a useful Windows list to fix an entry that actually belongs to Word or Edge.
Why might a word still appear after clearing?
A word can remain because it belongs to a different dictionary or because another feature is producing it. Check the application-specific editors first, then review the physical-keyboard text-suggestions setting if the issue is a prediction above the cursor. On a second device, account association and Windows backup preferences can also make the experience differ from the PC you just cleared.
Remember that clearing affects learned Windows typing and inking data; it does not promise to remove every occurrence of the word from documents, browser content, Word’s custom dictionaries or other application data.
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What should I remember before using Clear your custom dictionary?
- The current path is Settings > Privacy & security > Inking & typing personalization > Custom dictionary.
- The Windows Settings page documents a clear-all action, not a single-word editor.
- Turning off Custom inking and typing word list also clears the custom list.
- The list is associated with your Microsoft account and may be remembered across devices through Windows backup preferences.
- Text suggestions are controlled under Settings > Time & language > Typing.
- Edge and Word maintain separate dictionary editors for application-specific words.
- Clearing is destructive for the current learned list, so record important uncommon terms first.
FAQ
Will clearing Windows’ custom dictionary remove words from an existing document?
No. The action changes the learned word list used for typing and inking personalization; it does not edit text already saved in documents. A word can therefore remain visible in a file even after it is no longer part of the Windows custom list.
Why does the same unusual word behave differently on two computers?
The PCs may use different Microsoft accounts or different Windows backup preference settings. The custom list is account-associated, and synchronization availability can vary by region and account choice, so compare those settings before assuming that clearing failed.
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Does deleting a word in Word also delete it from Windows 11?
No. Word’s Custom Dictionaries dialog manages Word’s own entries. A separate Windows-learned entry can remain, just as clearing the Windows list does not remove a Word-specific entry.
Can I clear the list without turning off text suggestions?
Yes. Clear the custom dictionary from the Privacy & security settings and leave the physical-keyboard text-suggestions option unchanged. The two controls govern different features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing Windows’ custom dictionary remove words from an existing document?
No. The action changes the learned word list used for typing and inking personalization; it does not edit text already saved in documents. A word can therefore remain visible in a file even after it is no longer part of the Windows custom list.
Why does the same unusual word behave differently on two computers?
The PCs may use different Microsoft accounts or different Windows backup preference settings. The custom list is account-associated, and synchronization availability can vary by region and account choice, so compare those settings before assuming that clearing failed.
Does deleting a word in Word also delete it from Windows 11?
No. Word’s Custom Dictionaries dialog manages Word’s own entries. A separate Windows-learned entry can remain, just as clearing the Windows list does not remove a Word-specific entry.
Can I clear the list without turning off text suggestions?
Yes. Clear the custom dictionary from the Privacy & security settings and leave the physical-keyboard text-suggestions option unchanged. The two controls govern different features.
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