How to do in Firefox

[PeterSmiles]

I have spell checker installed in Firefox, with two dictionaries. My mother tongue and English. However my Firefox version is English, the spell checker will always be the other language by default.

How do I change the spell checker to use English by default ?

[MJCM]

What about

Right Click on the web page where you are typing.

• [x] Check Spelling

And Click Language > Choose the language for Spell checking....

And what is the order under

Tools - Options - Content - (Languages) - Choose

[PeterSmiles]

Under options > content : only English is set.

However the spell checker always returns to the alternative language by default.

[MJCM]

Which Language is your Windows ??

[petermik]

Which Language is your Windows ??

I have french windows-in UPVC

[PeterSmiles]

Which Language is your Windows ??

Windows is English.

[MJCM]

Oke try this: (First we check)

In the address bar (where you normally type a web-address, type about:config)

(If it warns about warranty etc etc, click I promise or oke or something like that)

You get a page with a lot of settings

In the search, type: spellchecker.dictionary

Check if you find it, there will be 2

- spellchecker.dictionary

- services.sync.prefs.sync.spellchecker.dictionary

What is the value of spellchecker.dictionary ? And if you only see 1 report back,

You can then close that Window

[transam]

Firefox does have a USA English spell check. It is hard to find for some reason but it is there, I have it.

[PeterSmiles]

- spellchecker.dictionary en-US

- services.sync.prefs.sync.spellchecker.dictionary True

[MJCM]

- spellchecker.dictionary en-US

- services.sync.prefs.sync.spellchecker.dictionary True

I am stumped.

Could you check one more thing please (under about:config) what is this set to: general.useragent.locale

[PeterSmiles]

general.useragent.locale;en-US

[MJCM]

Stumped again

Could it be that it takes it from the Windows Language Settings under Control Panel ?

Try to reinstall the FF en-Us language pack : https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/united-states-english-spellche/

I have found some links describing this problem.

https://support.mozilla.org/questions/960058

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/975459

In the last link someone mentions this:

don't know how to influence the order of remaining entries though & would have recommended setting spellchecker.dictionary manually as well. if this didn't help yet you also might want to clear the "site preferences" part of your history, since the preferred spell checker-language might be stored on a per-site basis

So it seems that the spell check preferences is on a per-site basis

How to clear this is described here: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/remove-recent-browsing-search-and-download-history

and could you also check if it does that when in Safe Mode ?

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode

[PeterSmiles]

Thanks for your help MJCM, but I've tried everything, including uninstall both dictionaries and reinstalling them in 2-3 times in different sequence but for some reason the alternative language is always the first on the list of languages.

Even if I uninstall both languages, US english is still available in the language drop down menu.

Always read that Firefox is so much better than Explorer but my experience, and those of many users if I do a Google, is that it's full of bugs.

I guess that's the reason why it's updated almost weekly. Since updates are done inn the background, do you have any idea if those are rather small files or is each update + 50 Mb ?

Did a bug search before installing the latest update, and it found something like 500 bugs

Guess I'm not gonna bother updating anymore

[MJCM]

Hi PeterSmiles,

the updates are very small (something like 10-15 MB each) even the full size installer for Firefox is only 25++ MB.

The "Background Updater" patches the install of Firefox and removes the old version.

I personally don't use this as I always like to Manual check for upgrades for my Computer.

About the Bug you experiencing, I can understand why when you uninstall both (Dict) Languages you still have en-US as your language, this is because the Firefox you installed is en-US. If you would remove Firefox and would install your Native language it would default to that language.

Maybe this page helps you in the search for a new browser:

http://www.howtogeek.com/108608/

Good Luck

[PeterSmiles]

Hi PeterSmiles,

the updates are very small (something like 10-15 MB each) even the full size installer for Firefox is only 25++ MB.

The "Background Updater" patches the install of Firefox and removes the old version.

I personally don't use this as I always like to Manual check for upgrades for my Computer.

About the Bug you experiencing, I can understand why when you uninstall both (Dict) Languages you still have en-US as your language, this is because the Firefox you installed is en-US. If you would remove Firefox and would install your Native language it would default to that language.

Maybe this page helps you in the search for a new browser:

http://www.howtogeek.com/108608/

Good Luck

But that is just the issue. I have a en-US version firefox.I have in addition also installed the en-US dictionary and the en-British dictionary.

But as soon as I install an alternative dictionary, the spell checker will default to that alternative language, and in the drop down menu that alternative language will be first in the list.

[MJCM]

Hi PeterSmiles,

the updates are very small (something like 10-15 MB each) even the full size installer for Firefox is only 25++ MB.

The "Background Updater" patches the install of Firefox and removes the old version.

I personally don't use this as I always like to Manual check for upgrades for my Computer.

About the Bug you experiencing, I can understand why when you uninstall both (Dict) Languages you still have en-US as your language, this is because the Firefox you installed is en-US. If you would remove Firefox and would install your Native language it would default to that language.

Maybe this page helps you in the search for a new browser:

http://www.howtogeek.com/108608/

Good Luck

But that is just the issue. I have a en-US version firefox.I have in addition also installed the en-US dictionary and the en-British dictionary.

But as soon as I install an alternative dictionary, the spell checker will default to that alternative language, and in the drop down menu that alternative language will be first in the list.

Yes that is exactly the bug that people are describing and also that it maybe is site-specific.

Let me do some tests and I will get back to you !

[MJCM]

Oke I did some tests

Note: Standard Firefox (version 25.0.1) (en-US) with a Clean Profile with No Addons installed

As you can see in this screenshot, only English US Dic, installed

After that I installed English UK (English US still default after restart)

Set English UK as default and restarted browser (En-UK set as default after restart)

[PeterSmiles]

Oke I did some tests

Note: Standard Firefox (version 25.0.1) (en-US) with a Clean Profile with No Addons installed

As you can see in this screenshot, only English US Dic, installed

spelling_1.JPG

After that I installed English UK (English US still default after restart)

spelling_2.JPG

Set English UK as default and restarted browser (En-UK set as default after restart)

spelling_3.JPG

Where do you choose the default language /

In the options > content tab I have only the option too choose between en/US and en/English, no option even to choose the alternative language.

[samuijimmy]

I have just had this spell check problem for a couple of days.... and just sorted it.... hope I can remember how to say to fix it... ( I am using a Mac, but sure it might be the same in Windows!)

Go to Firefox help .... then write in the problem (spell check not working!) It will take you to the page where ... I discovered that if you have two spell check programs loaded neither will work (actually I had just added spell check and grammar a few days ago) and forgot I did that...

Anyway, click the disable button on one of them and it will restart Firefox and problem solved!

Give it a go and see if you have two spell checks installed ! .... too easy! ..... try it and let us know!

[MJCM]

@samuijimmy: That option you will find under

Tools - Add-ons - Dictionaries and then disable.

[PeterSmiles]

I have just had this spell check problem for a couple of days.... and just sorted it.... hope I can remember how to say to fix it... ( I am using a Mac, but sure it might be the same in Windows!)

Go to Firefox help .... then write in the problem (spell check not working!) It will take you to the page where ... I discovered that if you have two spell check programs loaded neither will work (actually I had just added spell check and grammar a few days ago) and forgot I did that...

Anyway, click the disable button on one of them and it will restart Firefox and problem solved!

Give it a go and see if you have two spell checks installed ! .... too easy! ..... try it and let us know!

I have only 1 spell check program installed and it is working, the problem is that it always switches back to the alternative language by default, so each time i have to set it to English.

I would prefer that it use the English spell check by default and that I can switch it to the alternative language on the occasion that I need it.

By the way, I don't need a spell check, as I typed this whole post without a spelling mistake.

[PeterSmiles]

@samuijimmy: That option you will find under

Tools - Add-ons - Dictionaries and then disable.

In the Tools - Add-ons - Dictionaries , English united states is first in the list.

But right mouse > languages the alternative language comes first.

[samuijimmy]

All these things are trial and error, for us non "nerdy people" .. I fixed another problem that it turned out Firefox was causing..... after several days of frustration trying to find a solution...

Don't ask me now how I did it, but fixed now.... Some where there was a setting to reset Fire fox I managed to follow the instructions correctly ...

Good luck!