Curly quotes also called smart quotes appear as curved marks that lean toward the text they enclose. Straight quotes are vertical marks that do not lean. Many technical documents, code snippets, and plain-text workflows require straight quotes instead of curly ones. Word turns on smart quotes by default which can cause formatting issues when you paste text into a code editor or a content management system. This article explains how to turn off the AutoCorrect option that creates curly quotes and how to replace existing curly quotes with straight quotes in a document.
Key Takeaways: Replacing Curly Quotes With Straight Quotes in Word
- File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat As You Type > Replace as you type > Straight quotes with smart quotes: Uncheck this box to stop Word from creating curly quotes automatically.
- Find and Replace with Ctrl+H: Use the Find what field with a curly quote character and Replace with a straight quote character to fix existing quotes.
- Ctrl+Z immediately after typing: Undoes the automatic curly quote conversion for a single instance without changing the global setting.
Why Word Uses Curly Quotes and When You Need Straight Quotes
Word uses curly quotes because they follow typographic conventions used in printed books and professional documents. Curly quotes also called smart quotes curve toward the quoted text making them easier to read in paragraphs. The left curly quote character (U+201C) and right curly quote character (U+201D) differ from straight quote characters (U+0022) which are vertical and direction-neutral.
Many situations require straight quotes. Programming languages and markup languages interpret curly quotes as syntax errors. Content management systems and web forms often strip or corrupt curly quote characters. Plain-text files such as CSV exports and configuration files must use straight quotes. Legal documents with strict formatting rules may also require straight quotes.
The AutoCorrect feature in Word converts straight quotes to curly quotes as you type. This conversion happens on the fly when you press the key for a double or single quotation mark followed by a space or punctuation. The setting that controls this behavior is located in two places within Word: the AutoFormat As You Type tab and the AutoFormat tab. You must change the setting in both locations to stop the conversion completely.
How to Stop Word From Creating Curly Quotes
The permanent fix is to disable the smart quotes option in Word’s AutoCorrect settings. This prevents any new curly quotes from appearing when you type. Follow the steps below to turn off the feature in both the AutoFormat As You Type and AutoFormat tabs.
- Open the AutoCorrect Options dialog
Click File > Options > Proofing. Click the AutoCorrect Options button near the top of the Proofing pane. - Disable smart quotes in AutoFormat As You Type
In the AutoCorrect dialog, click the AutoFormat As You Type tab. Under Replace as you type, uncheck the box next to Straight quotes with smart quotes. Click OK to close the AutoCorrect dialog. - Disable smart quotes in AutoFormat
Click File > Options > Proofing again. Click AutoCorrect Options. Click the AutoFormat tab. Under Replace, uncheck the box next to Straight quotes with smart quotes. Click OK. - Verify the change
Type a test sentence with quotation marks in a new document. The quotes should appear as straight vertical marks instead of curved marks.
After you complete these steps Word will no longer convert straight quotes to curly quotes. Existing curly quotes in the document are not affected by this change. You must replace them separately using the method described in the next section.
How to Replace Existing Curly Quotes With Straight Quotes
To fix curly quotes already in your document use the Find and Replace feature. You need to perform separate replacements for the left curly quote and the right curly quote because they are different characters. The same process applies to single curly quotes.
- Open Find and Replace
Press Ctrl+H to open the Find and Replace dialog. - Find the left curly double quote
In the Find what field delete any existing text. Hold the Alt key and type 0147 on the numeric keypad then release Alt. This inserts the left curly double quote character (U+201C). - Replace with a straight double quote
In the Replace with field type a straight double quote by pressing the Shift key and the single quote key. This inserts the character U+0022. - Replace the right curly double quote
Click in the Find what field again. Delete the character. Hold Alt and type 0148 on the numeric keypad to insert the right curly double quote (U+201D). The Replace with field should still contain a straight double quote. Click Replace All. - Repeat for single quotes
To replace single curly quotes use Alt+0145 for the left single curly quote (U+2018) and Alt+0146 for the right single curly quote (U+2019). Replace each with a straight single quote typed by pressing the single quote key. - Check the document
Review the document for any quotation marks that were not replaced. Apostrophes that use curly characters are also replaced so verify that possessive forms and contractions appear correctly.
If you prefer not to use the numeric keypad you can copy a curly quote character from an existing document and paste it into the Find what field. This method works on any keyboard layout.
Issues When Replacing Curly Quotes in Word
Find and Replace does not find any curly quotes
The Find what field may contain a straight quote character instead of a curly quote character if you typed it with the keyboard. Use the Alt-code method or copy a curly quote from the document to ensure the correct character is in the Find what field.
Replacement changes apostrophes incorrectly
Word uses the same curly single quote character for both opening single quotes and apostrophes. Replacing all curly single quotes with straight single quotes changes apostrophes in words like don’t to straight marks. This is acceptable in most technical contexts but may not be desired in formal documents. To preserve curly apostrophes you must replace them manually or use a macro that distinguishes context.
Smart quotes setting reactivates after an update
Office updates can reset some AutoCorrect settings. After a major update verify that the Straight quotes with smart quotes checkbox remains unchecked in both the AutoFormat As You Type and AutoFormat tabs.
Pasted text still contains curly quotes
Text copied from a web page email or another Word document may contain curly quote characters even if your AutoCorrect setting is off. Run Find and Replace on the pasted text to convert those characters to straight quotes.
Word AutoCorrect Setting vs Manual Find and Replace for Quote Conversion
| Item | Disable AutoCorrect Setting | Manual Find and Replace |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | All new text typed from now on | Existing text in the current document |
| Effect on existing quotes | None | Converts all curly quotes to straight quotes |
| Time required | Less than one minute | Several minutes depending on document length |
| Risk of errors | None | May change apostrophes and special characters |
| Reversibility | Re-enable the checkbox | Must undo or re-insert curly quotes manually |
After changing the AutoCorrect setting you can type straight quotes immediately. Use Find and Replace to clean up any curly quotes already in the document. For future documents consider creating a template with the smart quotes setting already disabled. The keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Z pressed right after Word converts a quote undoes that single conversion without changing the global setting. This is useful when you need straight quotes occasionally but want curly quotes for most of your work.