If a professor, editor, or grammar tool has flagged your writing for passive voice, you don’t need a grammar lecture — you need to find every passive sentence and fix it before your deadline. Microsoft Word can catch some of it, but the setting is buried three menus deep. Google Docs doesn’t have a dedicated passive voice checker at all. And even when these tools do flag a sentence, they rarely tell you how to rewrite it. This guide walks through exactly where to click in Word, why Google Docs falls short, and the fastest way to scan an entire essay, thesis, or report for passive voice in one pass — using a free passive voice checker that works in any browser, on any device, with no account or software install required.
Quick Refresher: The Zombie Test
Before you start hunting for passive voice, here’s the fastest way to spot it yourself: if you can insert “by zombies” after the verb and the sentence still makes grammatical sense (“the paper was written by zombies”), it’s passive. If it doesn’t fit, you’re already in active voice. That’s the whole test — for a deeper explanation of why this works and when passive voice is actually fine to use, see our full guide on the Zombie Test method. For now, let’s get into fixing it.
How to Turn On Passive Voice Checking in Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word can flag passive voice, but the setting is off by default in most installs and isn’t labeled clearly. Here’s the exact path:
- Open a document in Word and click File in the top-left corner.
- Click Options at the bottom of the left-hand menu.
- In the Word Options window, click Proofing in the left sidebar.
- Find the section labeled “When correcting spelling and grammar in Word” and click the Settings button next to the Writing Style dropdown.
- In the Grammar Settings window, scroll down to the Style section.
- Check the box next to Passive Voice, then click OK on both windows to save.
- Run spelling and grammar check (Review tab > Spelling & Grammar, or press F7) to see passive sentences flagged in your document.
Version differences to watch for
- Word 2010 and 2013: the Passive Voice checkbox sits under Proofing > Settings exactly as described above, but grammar checking in these versions is noticeably less reliable at catching passive constructions with helping verbs.
- Word 2016 and 2019: same menu path; passive voice detection is more consistent, though it still misses sentences with implied agents.
- Word 365 (subscription version): Microsoft has folded most of this into the Editor pane. Passive voice sometimes appears under Editor > Refinements rather than as a standalone grammar flag, so if you don’t see it under Proofing, check there instead.
Even after enabling this setting, Word’s checker is inconsistent — it’s built to catch grammar patterns generally, not to hunt passive voice specifically, which is the core limitation we’ll cover in the next section.
One more thing worth knowing before you rely on this setting: it only applies to the desktop version of Word. The web version (Word for the web, accessed through a browser) and the mobile apps for iOS and Android don’t expose the same Proofing > Settings path, so if you’re editing on a phone, tablet, or a shared library computer using the browser version, this setting either isn’t available or resets each session. That’s one more reason a browser-based checker that works regardless of which device or Word version you’re on is worth having as a backup.
Does Google Docs Have a Built-In Passive Voice Checker?
No — as of now, Google Docs does not have a dedicated passive voice detection feature. Google’s built-in grammar suggestions (the blue underlines you see while typing) focus on subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and word choice. Passive voice isn’t part of that rule set.
If you search for a way to turn this on, you’ll find plenty of forum threads asking the same question, but no native setting to enable — because it doesn’t exist yet. Your two workarounds inside Google’s ecosystem are:
- Grammarly or a similar browser extension layered on top of Docs, which flags some passive constructions along with everything else it checks.
- Manually reading your draft aloud and applying the Zombie Test sentence by sentence — accurate, but slow for anything longer than a page or two.
Neither option is built for a fast, focused passive-voice pass. That’s the gap a dedicated tool fills, which we’ll get to shortly.
Why Isn’t Word or Google Docs Catching All Your Passive Sentences?
Even with Word’s Passive Voice setting turned on, you’ll still submit drafts with passive sentences the checker missed. This isn’t a bug — it’s a structural limitation of general-purpose grammar checkers:
- They’re tuned for broad grammar rules, not passive voice specifically, so passive detection is one flag among dozens competing for the same underline.
- Complex sentences with multiple clauses often hide a passive construction inside a subordinate clause that the checker skips.
- Passive sentences without a stated agent (“the report was finalized” with no “by” phrase) are the hardest for any checker to catch, including Word’s, because there’s less grammatical signal to key off of.
- Word only flags what’s visible in the active pane at the moment you run the check — if you keep editing afterward, new passive sentences you introduce won’t be caught until you run it again.
The practical result: relying on Word or Docs alone means passive voice slips through, especially in longer academic writing like essays, theses, and reports where sentence structure gets more complex toward the analysis and discussion sections.
The Fastest Way to Check an Entire Essay for Passive Voice at Once
Instead of running grammar check, scrolling through flagged sentences one at a time, and second-guessing which ones actually count, you can scan your whole document in one pass:
- Copy your full draft — the whole essay, chapter, or report, not just a paragraph.
Paste it into the Passive Voice Checker.
- Review each sentence it highlights and apply the suggested active-voice rewrite, adjusting wording so it still sounds like you.
Worked example
Here’s a short paragraph before and after running it through the checker:
Before: “The survey was completed by 200 participants over a two-week period. The data was then analyzed by the research team, and several patterns were identified. It was concluded that further study was needed.”
After: “200 participants completed the survey over a two-week period. The research team then analyzed the data and identified several patterns. The team concluded that the topic needed further study.”
Same information, three fewer passive constructions, and a noticeably tighter word count — which matters if you’re working against a strict page or word limit.
A faster way to check your work
Skip the settings menu entirely — the free Passive Voice Checker works instantly in any browser, on any device, with no Microsoft or Google account needed. Paste your essay, and every passive sentence gets highlighted with an active-voice suggestion in seconds.
Common Passive Voice Patterns That Slip Past Spell-Check
Some passive constructions are obvious — a clear “was/were + past participle” pattern that any checker catches. Others are sneakier, and these are the ones that end up costing marks on essays even after you’ve run Word’s grammar check. Watch for these patterns specifically:
- Passive + modal verbs: “The results should be interpreted with caution.” The modal (“should”) distracts basic checkers from the underlying passive structure.
- Passive with a delayed subject: “Having reviewed the literature, it was decided that a mixed-methods approach would be used.” The introductory clause pushes the passive verb further from the sentence start, which some checkers deprioritize.
- Nested passive inside a dependent clause: “The team, which was formed in early 2022, was tasked with reviewing the policy.” Two passive constructions in one sentence, and general grammar checkers often flag only the more obvious one.
- Passive perfect tense: “The proposal has been approved by the committee.” The “has been” construction is passive but reads smoothly enough that it’s easy to miss on a manual read-through, and Word’s checker is inconsistent about flagging perfect-tense passives.
- Passive infinitives: “The changes need to be implemented before the next review.” The “to be implemented” phrasing is passive but doesn’t follow the standard “was/were” pattern most people scan for.
This is exactly why running a full document through a dedicated checker catches more than a manual pass or Word’s built-in flag alone — the pattern matching is tuned specifically for these variations, not folded into a general grammar rule set that’s trying to catch fifty other issues at the same time.
When Passive Voice Is Actually the Right Choice
Not every flagged sentence needs to be rewritten, and treating passive voice as an automatic error is a common overcorrection. There are legitimate contexts where passive voice is the better — sometimes the required — choice:
- Scientific and lab reports: Many methods sections are written in passive voice on purpose (“the solution was heated to 80°C”) because the focus is on the procedure, not who performed it. Check your course or journal’s style guide before converting every instance.
- When the doer is unknown or irrelevant: “The manuscript was damaged during shipping” doesn’t need a named subject — nobody’s tracking down who mishandled the package.
- When you want to emphasize the action’s target, not the actor: “The suspect was arrested at 3 a.m.” keeps the focus on the suspect, which is usually the point of the sentence in a news or report context.
- Formal or diplomatic writing where naming the actor would sound accusatory: “Mistakes were identified in the Q3 report” is sometimes a deliberate softening in professional communication, though it’s worth being honest with yourself about whether you’re softening appropriately or avoiding accountability.
The goal of a passive voice checker isn’t to force every sentence into active voice — it’s to show you where passive voice is happening so you can make an informed choice about whether it belongs there. A well-placed passive sentence is a style decision. An essay that’s passive by default, sentence after sentence, is what actually costs clarity and, often, marks.
Before-and-After: Real Sentence Rewrites
Seeing the pattern across multiple examples makes it easier to apply on your own writing. Here are three common student-essay sentences rewritten from passive to active:
| Passive Sentence (Before) | Active Sentence (After) | Why It’s Stronger |
|---|---|---|
| “The experiment was conducted by the research team over six weeks.” | “The research team conducted the experiment over six weeks.” | Cuts 2 words, puts the doer first, reads faster. |
| “It was found that the results were affected by several factors.” | “Several factors affected the results.” | Removes the vague “it was found that” filler entirely. |
| “The essay was submitted late because the deadline was misunderstood by the student.” | “The student submitted the essay late because they misunderstood the deadline.” | Names who did what — no more guessing who “misunderstood” the deadline. |
How to Fix Passive Voice Without Changing Your Meaning
The most common worry when editing out passive voice is accidentally changing what a sentence means, especially in academic writing where precision matters. A few rules keep the meaning intact:
- Find the doer first. Every passive sentence has an implied or stated “who did this.” Identify that person or thing before you rewrite — it becomes your new subject.
- If there’s no clear “by” phrase, don’t force one in. Sometimes the honest active rewrite uses a general subject like “researchers,” “the committee,” or “we,” depending on your paper’s voice conventions.
- Keep passive voice when the doer genuinely doesn’t matter. “The bridge was built in 1932” is a legitimate use of passive voice — nobody’s asking who specifically laid the concrete. Not every flagged sentence needs to change.
- Watch for meaning shifts in cause-and-effect sentences. “Mistakes were made” and “the manager made mistakes” carry different levels of accountability — make sure your rewrite says what you actually mean to say.
- Read the rewrite aloud. If it sounds unnatural or overly blunt for your context (some formal or scientific writing intentionally uses passive voice for objectivity), it’s fine to leave a sentence passive on purpose rather than force every instance active.
This is also why a tool that only flags passive voice — without judging every instance as wrong — is more useful than a checker that treats every passive sentence as an error to eliminate. Some passive sentences are correct choices; the goal is control, not zero-passive writing.
Quick Checklist: Signal Words That Often Mean Passive Voice
If you’re scanning your own draft manually before running it through a checker, these word combinations are worth searching for using Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac). Finding one doesn’t guarantee a sentence is passive, but it’s a strong signal worth a second look:
- “was” or “were” followed by a word ending in -ed or -en (was completed, were written, was given, were taken)
- “is” or “are” followed by a past participle (is required, are considered)
- “has been,” “have been,” or “had been” (has been reviewed, had been approved)
- “being” followed by a past participle (being tested, being analyzed)
- “by” appearing mid-sentence after a verb phrase, which often signals the agent of a passive construction (“…was reviewed by the committee”)
Searching for these patterns manually works for a short document, but it gets slow and error-prone past a page or two — especially since not every “was” is passive (“the meeting was long” is just a normal sentence with a linking verb, not a passive construction). This is the exact ambiguity a dedicated checker is built to resolve automatically, distinguishing genuine passive constructions from ordinary uses of “was” or “were” as linking verbs.
Word vs. Google Docs vs. a Dedicated Passive Voice Checker
Here’s how the three options actually compare when you sit down to edit a full document. The differences matter most when you’re working against a deadline and don’t have time to dig through settings menus or run multiple passes to catch what one tool missed:
| Feature | Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Passive Voice Checker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in passive voice flag | Yes, buried in Settings | No dedicated toggle | Yes, front and center |
| Setup required | 5+ clicks through menus | None available | None — paste and go |
| Highlights every instance at once | Inconsistent, one at a time | Not applicable | Yes, whole document in seconds |
| Suggests an active-voice rewrite | No | No | Yes |
| Account or software needed | Microsoft Word license | Google account | None — works in any browser |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I turn on passive voice checking in Microsoft Word?
Go to File > Options > Proofing, click Settings next to Writing Style, scroll to the Style section, and check the box next to Passive Voice. Then run Spelling & Grammar (F7) to see flagged sentences.
Does Google Docs have a built-in passive voice checker?
No. Google Docs’ grammar suggestions don’t include a dedicated passive voice rule as of now. You’d need a browser extension or a separate tool to check for it.
Why isn’t Word or Google Docs catching all my passive sentences?
General grammar checkers split their attention across dozens of rules, so passive voice — especially in complex or agent-less sentences — often slips through. They also only catch what’s visible when you run the check, not what you type afterward.
What’s the fastest way to check an entire essay for passive voice at once?
Copy your full draft and paste it into a dedicated tool like the Passive Voice Checker, which scans the whole document at once instead of one sentence at a time.
How do I fix passive voice without changing my meaning?
Identify who or what performed the action and make that your subject. If there’s no clear doer, it’s often fine to leave the sentence passive — not every instance needs to be rewritten.
Is a passive voice checker the same as a grammar checker?
No. A general grammar checker like the one built into Word or Google Docs looks at dozens of issues at once — spelling, tense, subject-verb agreement, punctuation — with passive voice as just one minor rule buried among the rest. A dedicated passive voice checker does one job: find every passive construction in your text and show you how to make it active, which is why it catches patterns a general checker misses.
Can I use a passive voice checker for free, or does it require a subscription?
The Passive Voice Checker is free to use, works directly in your browser, and doesn’t require creating an account, installing software, or connecting to Microsoft or Google. Paste your text and it scans immediately.
Before You Submit
Run one final pass before you turn anything in:
- Reread your introduction and conclusion — passive voice tends to creep in most where writing gets more formal.
- Check any section you wrote in a rush, since passive constructions are an easy default when you’re moving fast.
Run your final draft through the free Passive Voice Checker one more time before you submit
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