How to download and install LanguageTool on Mac
LanguageTool for Desktop is a grammar, spelling and style checker that lives in your Mac’s menu bar and checks text in Mail, Notes, Word and other apps. Here is where to get it, how to install it and which permission it needs to work.
LanguageTool
- macOS 12.4 or later
- One file for Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free. Premium is paid
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (languagetool.org). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask languagetool-desktopHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Before you download
LanguageTool has one installer that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The app works in desktop apps such as Apple Mail, Notes, Messages, Microsoft Word, Slack and Teams. For websites, LanguageTool has separate browser extensions.
LanguageTool for Desktop needs macOS 12.4 or later. Download it only from languagetool.org.
How to install LanguageTool
- Open
LanguageToolDesktop-latest.dmgin your Downloads folder. - Drag LanguageTool for Desktop from the window that opens to the Applications folder in the Finder sidebar.
- Eject the LanguageTool disk: click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar.
- Open LanguageTool for Desktop from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- Accept the privacy policy, click Grant Permission and turn on LanguageTool for Desktop in the Accessibility list that opens.
What to set up after the first launch
- Where it lives. LanguageTool has no Dock icon: look for its icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- Checking per app. Open an app such as Mail, click the LanguageTool icon in the menu bar and turn on checking for that app. Apps you don’t turn on are not checked.
- Premium. Premium features need you to sign in with your LanguageTool account in the app.
- The installer. Move the
.dmgfrom Downloads to the Trash once LanguageTool runs.
If LanguageTool won’t install or open
- «LanguageTool for Desktop is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete the file and download it again from
languagetool.org. - LanguageTool doesn’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS version in About This Mac: it needs macOS 12.4 or later.
- No suggestions appear. Check that LanguageTool for Desktop is on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility and that checking is turned on for the app you write in.
Alternatives to LanguageTool
Keep your Mac tidy
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up over time and shows how much space they take. And if you decide to remove LanguageTool, the Uninstaller takes its files with it.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is LanguageTool for Mac free?
Yes. The app and the basic grammar and spelling checks are free. Premium is a paid plan that adds more style suggestions and unlimited rewriting.
Is LanguageTool in the Mac App Store?
No. LanguageTool offers its Mac app on languagetool.org. Apps with a similar name in the App Store come from other developers.
Why does LanguageTool need Accessibility?
It reads the text you type in other apps and shows corrections there. MacOS allows that only through Accessibility. LanguageTool checks only in the apps you turn on.