How to Turn On Predictive Text in Windows 10

To turn on predictive text in Windows 10, open Settings > Devices > Typing, then enable Show text suggestions as I type under Hardware keyboard. If you type with a touchscreen keyboard, Windows has a separate software-keyboard switch. Suggestions appear above the cursor as you type; select one with a mouse, touch, or keyboard. These steps follow Microsoft’s Windows text-suggestions instructions.

Turn on predictive text for a physical keyboard

Use this setting for a laptop’s built-in keyboard or a keyboard connected to a desktop. The Windows 10 switch is separate from the one for the Touch Keyboard.

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings. You can also select Start > Settings.
2. Select Devices, then choose Typing in the left pane.
3. Scroll to Hardware keyboard.
4. Turn on Show text suggestions as I type.
5. Open a text field in an app such as Notepad or Word and type a few letters to check for suggestions.

As you type, Windows may show candidate words above the cursor. The number and wording of suggestions can change with the text you enter. Windows describes its predictions as based on spelling; adding more letters can produce more relevant choices.

Choose or dismiss a suggested word

You do not have to accept a prediction. Keep typing to ignore the row, or choose a word when it fits:

• With a mouse or touch: Select the suggestion you want.
• With a keyboard: Press Up Arrow to focus the suggestions, use Left Arrow or Right Arrow to move between them, then press Enter to insert the highlighted word.
• To close the row: Press Esc or click outside the suggestions.

This is word prediction, not automatic correction. If you also want Windows to correct misspellings, the Typing page has a separate Autocorrect misspelled words option; it is not needed to display suggestions.

Enable suggestions for the Touch Keyboard

On a touchscreen or 2-in-1, use the Touch Keyboard setting if you want suggestions while tapping the on-screen keys. In Windows 10, its Settings label uses “software keyboard.”

1. Open Settings > Devices > Typing.
2. Under Typing, turn on Show text suggestions as I type on the software keyboard.
3. To open the Touch Keyboard, tap a text field on a touchscreen or select its keyboard icon in the taskbar. If the icon is missing, right-click the taskbar and select Show touch keyboard button. See Microsoft’s Touch Keyboard guide for the available ways to open it.
4. Type a few characters, then tap a word in the suggestion strip above the keys.

If the Touch Keyboard icon does not appear, Microsoft also explains how to show it from the taskbar in its instructions for enabling the Touch Keyboard.

Use suggestions in more than one language

If you switch between languages, return to Settings > Devices > Typing and enable Show text suggestions based on the recognized languages you’re typing in. This is an optional setting for multilingual input. Make sure the relevant language and keyboard layout are installed and selected; Microsoft’s language and keyboard-layout guide explains how to manage them.

If predictive text does not appear

• Confirm you enabled the switch for the keyboard you are actually using: Hardware keyboard for physical keys, or the software-keyboard option for touch input.
• Try another text field, such as Notepad, a Word document, or a browser comment box. Suggestions can vary by app and text field.
• Type a few letters before expecting a useful candidate. Microsoft notes that suggestions can become more relevant as you add letters.
• If you type in multiple languages, check the recognized-language option and the selected keyboard layout.

Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025. The PC can continue to run, but standard software and security updates are no longer provided; see Microsoft’s Windows 10 end-of-support notice for current options.