Microsoft Word has a plagiarism checker built-in for Office 365 and Word 365 but you need either an A3 or A5 tier subscription.
The feature is called Word Similarity Checker and uses Bing search to compare your content with others online.
The feature is pretty intuitive to use. However, there are some limitations. This guide gives you a complete breakdown of how to use Microsoft’s Similarity Checker and other alternatives if you need more features.
How to Check for Plagiarism In Word: Step by Step Guide
Word’s plagiarism checker is hidden under the advanced editing option in MS Word. Once you know how to use it, it is actually quite convenient to use.
Plus, it generates a similarity report pretty quickly. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to check plagiarism in Word:
Step 1: Click ‘Editor’ To Bring Up Words Advanced Options
If you are a A3 or A5 tier Microsoft 365 subscriber, you will see a button labeled ‘Editor’ with a blue pen icon in two places.
All the screenshots for this Word document plagiarism checker was taken from this YouTube tutorial.
- On the right side of the ‘Home’ tab
- Also under the ‘Review’ tab
Source: How to use Similarity Checker in Microsoft Word
Click on ‘Editor’. It will bring up an editing panel on the right side of your screen. The 'Editor' tab has advanced tools such as spelling and grammar checks, passive voice detection, and can also improve the clarity of your writing. For now, our main focus is its similarity checker feature.
Step 2: Click on ‘’Similarity”
Scroll down a bit on the Editor panel, and you will see ‘Similarity’.
Source: How to use Similarity Checker in Microsoft Word
This will use bing search to check for similarity between your document and others on the web.
Source: How to use Similarity Checker in Microsoft Word
The check is pretty straightforward and quick. You will get a similarity report with text highlighting.
Step 3: Add Citations
After you check for similarities, you can hover over the section of your text and add in-text citations with just one click.
Source: How to use Similarity Checker in Microsoft Word
By default the citation guideline is MLA. But you can also choose Chicago and APA citation styles as well.
That is pretty much all there is to it. It is easy to use and intuitive. The Similarity Checker in Microsoft Word is a handy tool to check for plagiarism in your text editor.
How Reliable is Microsoft Word Plagiarism Checker
Word’s built-in plagiarism detection is pretty good thanks to its ability to tap into bing search results. It can access the web and check for exact matches of text. However, it struggles detecting other common types of plagiarism like paraphrased texts.
AI plagiarism detection is not as reliable on Word’s similarity checker compared to others.
Additionally, other duplicate checkers compare your work against a large dataset, published and unpublished research papers and more.
MS Word Similarity Checker Will Be Retired in 2027
Microsoft made a major announcement that it’ll retire Word plagiarism checker checker on October 3, 2027.
Until then, supported Microsoft Word users can continue accessing Similarity Checker through Microsoft Editor. Once the retirement takes effect, the Similarity Checker option will be removed from Word.
However, Microsoft Editor features, including spelling, grammar, clarity, and style suggestions, will continue to be available.
Can Microsoft Word Detect AI Content?
Microsoft Word does not currently have a built-in AI content detector. This is an important feature that’s missing from what’s a pretty full-featured text editor otherwise.
AI detector checks are particularly important nowadays because even human writing can be flagged as AI.
Microsoft 365 Copilot can help users write, rewrite, summarize, and edit content inside Word, but it is not designed to determine whether a document is AI-generated.
If you need to check writing for possible AI-generated content, you will need to use a separate AI detection tool.
Troubleshooting Tips When Similarity Checker Is Not Working
If Microsoft Word’s Similarity Checker is missing, keeps loading, or shows a “try again later” error, the problem may be related to an outdated Office version, conflicting add-ins or the app itself, conflicting add-ins.
Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:
1. Update Microsoft Word
An outdated version of Microsoft 365 may cause Editor features to stop working properly.
Open Word and go to: File > Account > Update Options > Update Now
Install any available updates, restart Word, and try the Similarity Checker again.
2. Try the Microsoft Word Desktop App
If you are having trouble accessing the feature elsewhere, try opening the document in the Microsoft 365 Word desktop application.
Then go to: Home > Editor > Similarity > Check for similarity
Microsoft Q&A recommends the desktop version as a troubleshooting option when Similarity Checker is not working as expected.
3. Disable Word Add-ins Temporarily
Some Word add-ins may interfere with Editor features.
Go to: File > Options > Add-ins > Manage COM Add-ins > Go
Temporarily disable the add-ins, restart Word, and check whether Similarity Checker starts working again. If it does, you can enable the add-ins individually to identify which one may be causing the problem.
4. Repair Microsoft 365
If updating Word and disabling add-ins do not help, you can try repairing your Microsoft 365 installation.
On Windows, go to:
Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify > Repair
This can repair missing or corrupted Office components that may be affecting Word.
5. Check Your Microsoft 365 Account or Contact Support
Similarity Checker availability can also depend on the Microsoft 365 account or license provided by your school or organization. If the feature is completely missing, check with your IT administrator to confirm whether it is available for your account.
If none of these fixes work, the issue may be related to Microsoft's service rather than your document. Microsoft Q&A recommends contacting Microsoft Support or asking an organization's Microsoft 365 administrator to open a support request when the problem continues.
Alternative Plagiarism Detection Tool For In-depth Text Comparison
Microsoft Word’s Similarity Checker is a helpful tool, but it might not give you the deep, detailed analysis you need. Other tools like CopyChecker and Copyscape’s plagiarism checkers have extensive datasets to check against.
Moreover, these tools can detect more complex plagiarism like paraphrasing plagiarism, AI plagiarism and more. You also get a detailed report, source and text highlighting as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a plagiarism checker in Word?
Microsoft Word includes a feature called Similarity Checker that compares text in your document with content found online and highlights matching paragraphs.
Where Is the Plagiarism Checker in Microsoft Word?
Open the Home tab, select Editor, scroll to the Similarity section, and choose the option to check your document for similarity.
What Does the Similarity Percentage in Microsoft Word Mean?
The percentage shows how much of your document matches with online sources. It doesn’t automatically mean the content is plagiarized.
Is Word similarity checker good?
It’s pretty good for a quick online plagiarism check for free right from your text editor. But if you want a more in-depth duplicate checking, a dedicated tool will be more reliable.
Can Microsoft Word Detect AI-Generated Writing?
No. Microsoft Word does not currently include a built-in AI content detector. You need to use a reliable AI detector to check whether something is human written or AI-generated.
Is Microsoft Word's Similarity Checker the Same as CopyChecker?
No. Microsoft Word's Similarity Checker focuses on matching content it finds online, while dedicated academic plagiarism systems may use different and often much larger databases, reports, and institutional sources.
Is Microsoft Removing the Similarity Checker?
Yes. Microsoft has announced that Similarity Checker will be retired from Microsoft Word on October 3, 2027.
Can I Check a Word Document for Plagiarism Without Microsoft's Similarity Checker?
Yes. You can copy the text from your Word document into an online plagiarism checker like CopyChecker to run a separate, in-depth plagiarism check.
Wrapping Up
Microsoft Word's Similarity Checker offers a convenient way to check your document for plagiarism without leaving your editor.
However, it is not an AI detector or a complete replacement for a dedicated plagiarism checker.
With Microsoft planning to retire the feature in 2027, users who need regular plagiarism or originality checks may also want to consider an alternative tool for more detailed text comparison.
