Disable autocorrect on Mac when typing another language

You switch to Spanish mid-message and every other word gets "corrected" into the nearest English one — como becomes come, pero becomes pep. That happens because autocorrect uses the dictionary of whatever input source is active, and if you're typing language B on an English keyboard, it fights you. There are two fixes: point autocorrect at the right dictionary by adding that language's input source, or turn correction off entirely.

Fix 1 — add the language's input source

Often the better fix: give macOS the correct dictionary rather than none. When the active input source matches what you're typing, autocorrect helps instead of hurting.

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard.
2. In the Text Input section, click Edit….
3. Click the +, choose the language and keyboard layout you type in, and add it.
4. Turn on Show Input menu in menu bar so you can switch quickly.

Now flip to that input source from the menu bar (or with a shortcut) before you type in the second language, and autocorrect draws on the right vocabulary. See how to switch keyboard layout with a shortcut on Mac to make the swap a single keypress.

Fix 2 — turn autocorrect off

If you code-switch constantly within one sentence, no single dictionary wins — the cleaner answer is to stop automatic correction altogether:

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input and click Edit….
2. Turn off Correct spelling automatically, then click Done.

# stop autocorrect from rewriting words as you type
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticSpellingCorrectionEnabled -bool false

# undo — turn it back on
defaults delete NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticSpellingCorrectionEnabled

No logout needed; relaunch the app you're typing in so it picks up the change. This works the same on macOS 13 Ventura, 14 Sonoma, and 15 Sequoia.

Watch auto-capitalization too

Languages don't capitalize the same way — German nouns, French months, Spanish weekdays — and macOS applies English rules unless you tell it otherwise. If capital letters keep appearing in the wrong places, see how to disable auto-capitalization on Mac; it's a separate switch on the same settings sheet.