[Fixed] Spellcheck shows no suggestions for languages provided by Windows

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January 8, 2013

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nian Oct 22 @ 5:32am

[Fixed] Spellcheck shows no suggestions for languages provided by Windows

ISSUE

TL:DR: Spellcheck suggestions for OS languages are broken in latest Steam beta.
Only internal Chromium dictionaries work.

By default, Steam uses the primary OS language for:
- the Steam Client UI
- CEF (always fixed, should align with the Steam Client UI instead!)
- spellchecking suggestions

This issue is about the spellchecking suggestions:
Steam / Chromium can use the spellchecking dictionaries provided by the operating system (e.g. Windows).

In Steam beta version 1760657741 (which uses Chromium: 126.0.6478.183) the spellchecking suggestions no longer appear if they are provided by Windows.

If I add "English (United States)" to the language list in Windows, the spellcheck stops working in Steam for english words (no suggestions in context menu),
because it tries to use the Windows dictionary instead of the Chromium dictionary.

This also means that if you set a spellchecking language in Steam which does not exist in your OS (e.g. "Spanish (Spain)") then the spellcheck suggestions do appear for that language in the context menu.

Also, only for non-OS languages does Steam / Chromium actually download the bdic file into

%localappdata%\Steam\htmlcache\Dictionaries

(the dictionary for spellcheck corrections / suggestions).

Windows 10
Steam Version: 1760657741 (Chromium: 126.0.6478.183)

STEPS

Install the latest Steam beta
Mistype words in your primary OS language in Steam
Right-click on the underlined words

RESULTS

No spellcheck suggestions appear in the context menu.
The only option is "Add to dictionary".

EXPECTED

Spellcheck suggestions should appear correctly.

(Also, please make the spellcheck context menu clickable again.
It's been months since "Add to dictionary" broke.)

EDIT: This has been fixed in version 1763531587 (both Stable and Beta).

Last edited by nian; Nov 19 @ 12:20am

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Showing 1-11 of 11 comments

nian Oct 23 @ 5:38pm

Strangely enough the bdic file for the primary OS language does get downloaded on first startup after deleting the htmlcache folder.

However it still does not get used in any way (suggestions for that language don't appear in context menu in the Steam client).

Last edited by nian; Oct 30 @ 8:51am

nian Nov 12 @ 3:05am

Still happening in version 1762805486.

nian Nov 14 @ 4:15pm

Same exact issue is mentioned in CEF's issues on Github:
https://github.com/chromiumembedded/cef/issues/3860#issuecomment-2568439584

This behavior is consistent with issue 3055, which is about missing Alloy support for the OS spell checker. Chromium is trying (and failing) to use the OS spell checker for installed languages. It is likely falling back to hunspell (which works) for non-installed languages.

One solution seems to be this:
https://github.com/chromiumembedded/cef/issues/3055#issuecomment-2569774399

Or this:
https://github.com/chromiumembedded/cef/issues/3055#issuecomment-2571130457

Possibly helpful:
https://source.chromium.org/chromium/chromium/src/+/main:components/spellcheck/spellcheck.md

Alternatively, update to a CEF version with the included fix (at least 134.3.5+g36934eb+chromium-134.0.6998.89 / Chromium 134.0.6998.89):
https://bitbucket.org/chromiumembedded/cef/commits/aa4734b714baee2546d0519058f42c7c8b9ef080

Last edited by nian; Nov 14 @ 4:30pm

nian Nov 18 @ 1:35pm

BUMP

Congratulations Valve,
you successfully ignored this bug report and now everyone in the stable branch on Windows has this issue, too.

Lord Skarra Nov 18 @ 7:29pm

This just doesn't let me click anything before now, now it doesn't even give an option.
for instace <- no option, just add to dictiationary.

PurSpyk!! Nov 18 @ 11:49pm

Odd that this is still an issue

PurSpyk!! Nov 18 @ 11:51pm

Originally posted by nian:
BUMP

Congratulations Valve,
you successfully ignored this bug report and now everyone in the stable branch on Windows has this issue, too.

Most user feedback gets ignored

nian Nov 19 @ 12:16am

Originally posted by PurSpyk!!:
Originally posted by nian:
BUMP

Congratulations Valve,
you successfully ignored this bug report and now everyone in the stable branch on Windows has this issue, too.

Most user feedback gets ignored

Not in this case.
Valve fixed it just an hour ago.
Make sure to install the latest update.

nian Nov 19 @ 12:18am

Originally posted by Lord Skarra:
This just doesn't let me click anything before now, now it doesn't even give an option.
for instace <- no option, just add to dictiationary.

Install the latest update, they fixed it.

If you need instructions on how to enable / disable / customize the spell check languages, please see my guide here:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3600107201

oldladygreybun Nov 19 @ 5:21am

Originally posted by nian:
(...)
If you need instructions on how to enable / disable / customize the spell check languages, please see my guide here:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3600107201

Thank you so much for making this guide.
I wanted to leave a 'thank you' on the Guide itself, but apparently the Comments field on it is locked (?) - tried many times anyway, and couldn't get in there. So I just left a thumbs-up and an award on the Guide itself.

In my case, the latest Steam Client update (yesterday, I think) somehow overrode my chosen Client Language (which is set to English) and started spell checking everything as if it was written in the standard language of the country I happen to live in geographically/physically. Which is not English. And therfore putting angry red squiggly lines under everything I was writing.

I unfortunately am now not getting any spelling check in English either, but whatever - I'm happy enough just to get rid of all that red!
(WIN 11, Europe).

#10

nian Nov 19 @ 5:31am

Originally posted by oldladygreybun:
Originally posted by nian:
(...)
If you need instructions on how to enable / disable / customize the spell check languages, please see my guide here:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3600107201

Thank you so much for making this guide.
I wanted to leave a 'thank you' on the Guide itself, but apparently the Comments field on it is locked (?) - tried many times anyway, and couldn't get in there. So I just left a thumbs-up and an award on the Guide itself.

In my case, the latest Steam Client update (yesterday, I think) somehow overrode my chosen Client Language (which is set to English) and started spell checking everything as if it was written in the standard language of the country I happen to live in geographically/physically. Which is not English. And therfore putting angry red squiggly lines under everything I was writing.

I unfortunately am now not getting any spelling check in English either, but whatever - I'm happy enough just to get rid of all that red!
(WIN 11, Europe).