How to customize the color of the spelling and grammar checker underlines in Word 2007

This article describes how to customize the color of the spelling and grammar checker underlines in Microsoft Office Word 2007. These underlines indicate the following items:

• Spelling errors
• Grammar errors
• Contextual spelling errors
• Smart tags

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

To change the color of the wavy underline that indicates spelling errors, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Proofing Tools
3. If the SpellingWavyUnderlineColor entry exists, go to step 6.
   
   If the SpellingWavyUnderlineColor entry does not exist, go to step 4.
4. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
5. In the right pane, type SpellingWavyUnderlineColor. This is the name of the new entry.
6. In the right pane, double-click SpellingWavyUnderlineColor.
7. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, click Hexadecimal.
8. In the Value data box, type the hexadecimal number that represents the color that you want to use, and then click OK.
9. Repeat steps 3 to 8 to change the underline color for other proofing tools. Use the registry entry that corresponds to the underline color of the proofing tool that you want to change instead of the SpellingWavyUnderlineColor registry entry, as follows:
   • To change the color of the wavy underline that indicates grammar errors, use the GrammarWavyUnderlineColor registry entry.
   • To change the color of the wavy underline that indicates contextual spelling errors, use the ContextualSpellingWavyUnderlineColor registry entry.
   • To change the color of the dotted underline that indicates smart tags, use the SmartTagUnderlineColor registry entry.
10. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart your computer.

The registry uses eight-digit hexadecimal values to define colors. The values for some common colors are indicated in the following table.