Overview

Microsoft has added inclusive language proofing features to the web-based Office 365 applications and some of the desktop Office applications. These proofing features are not enabled by default, so to take advantage of them you must first turn them on – this resource will show you how to do that.

What is inclusive language?

UNC’s Policy on Gender-Inclusive Language states: “The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our community. Consistent with that commitment, gender-inclusive terms (chair; first-year student; upper-level student, etc.) should be used on University documents, websites and policies.”

A guidance handout (“Gender-Inclusive Language“) may be found on the UNC Writing Center website.

How to enable inclusive language check in MS Office

To include inclusive language proofing in the grammar check you’ve come accustomed to in Microsoft products, please see the detailed guides below.

Office 365 Web Applications

PC: Outlook

PC: Word

Mac: Word

Note: This feature is not yet available on the Mac Outlook client.