Grammarly Tutorial
Last updated: April 2026
What you'll achieve
By the end of this guide, you'll be able to confidently install Grammarly, use it to check any piece of writing in real-time, and understand its suggestions to improve your grammar, clarity, and tone. You'll know how to set goals for different writing types, navigate the dashboard, and apply corrections with a single click. I'll show you how to move beyond simple spell-check to make your emails, documents, and social posts more professional and effective.
Prerequisites
- •A free Grammarly account (you'll create it in Step 1)
- •A web browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge) for the extension
- •A short piece of your own writing to test (e.g., an email draft)
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Sign Up and Install the Extension
First, go to grammarly.com and click the big 'Sign up' button. Use your email or a social account—it's instant. I always recommend using the same email you use for work or school. Once signed in, you'll be prompted to install the browser extension. This is non-negotiable. Click 'Add to Chrome' (or your browser). The installation is quick. After it's added, you'll see a small, floating Grammarly icon (a green 'G') in the bottom-right corner of text fields on sites like Gmail, Google Docs, and social media. This is your gateway. Click it to open the assistant. What surprised me was how seamlessly it integrated; it felt like a native part of my browser within minutes.
Install the extension on all browsers you use for a consistent experience.
Step 2: Navigate the Dashboard and Set Your First Goal
Now, go back to app.grammarly.com. This is your home base. The main area is a blank document—this is Grammarly Editor. On the right, you'll see the 'Goals' panel. This is critical. Before you paste any text, click 'Set Goals'. You'll be asked: Who's your audience? (General, Knowledgeable, Expert), What's the formality? (Casual, Neutral, Formal), What's the domain? (Academic, Business, Creative, etc.), and What's the intent? (Inform, Describe, Convince, Tell a story). I tested this extensively: setting 'Business, Formal, Convince' for a client email yields radically different tone suggestions than 'Creative, Casual, Tell a story' for a blog post. Be honest here; the AI's effectiveness hinges on these settings.
Don't skip setting goals. It's the difference between generic and tailored advice.
Step 3: Check Your First Document and Understand Suggestions
Paste a paragraph of your own writing into the Grammarly Editor. Almost immediately, underlined words and phrases will appear. Red underlines are critical errors (spelling, grammar). Blue underlines are clarity or engagement suggestions. Green underlines are tone or word choice. Click any underline. A card pops up explaining the issue and offering a correction. For example, it might flag a passive voice sentence. Click the suggestion to accept it instantly. In my experience, start by fixing all the red underlines. Then, review the blue ones—these are where you truly improve your writing. Don't blindly accept every green suggestion; sometimes your unique voice is correct. The left sidebar shows your overall score and a breakdown of issues.
Hover over the 'i' icon on a suggestion card to get a detailed grammar lesson.
Step 4: Customize Your Personal Dictionary and Tone Detector
Grammarly will sometimes flag brand names, technical jargon, or slang as errors. Right-click the word and select 'Add to dictionary'. I've added my company name, product terms, and even common industry acronyms. This prevents future false alarms. Next, explore the Tone Detector. Write a sentence like 'We need to talk.' At the bottom of the editor, you'll see a real-time analysis—it might say 'Frustrated', 'Direct', or 'Upset'. This is incredibly revealing for emails. If your intent is neutral but the tone reads as harsh, rewrite until it shifts to 'Neutral' or 'Friendly'. You can also click the three-dot menu in the Goals panel to fine-tune formality and domain sensitivity.
Regularly review and prune your personal dictionary to keep it relevant.
Step 5: Use Grammarly Everywhere (Desktop App & Mobile)
The browser extension is great, but for desktop apps like Microsoft Word or Outlook, download the free Grammarly for Windows/Mac app from the website. Install it, and you'll get a dedicated Grammarly tab within Word. I use this daily for long-form reports. For mobile, get the Grammarly Keyboard from your app store. Enable it in your phone's settings (Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard). Now, Grammarly checks everything you type—texts, notes, social media. The mobile experience is surprisingly robust, catching errors in real-time. Your documents sync across all devices via your account.
On mobile, the keyboard learns your typing habits, so its predictions improve over time.
Step 6: Explore Premium Features & The GrammarlyGO Assistant
If you upgrade to Premium, you unlock the full suite. The two features I find indispensable are the full-sentence rewrites for clarity and the plagiarism checker. For a clunky sentence, Premium often offers 2-3 crisp alternatives. The plagiarism checker scans billions of web pages—essential for students and content creators. Also, try GrammarlyGO (included in Premium). Click the sparkle icon in the editor or extension. It's a generative AI assistant. You can prompt it to 'Make this paragraph more persuasive' or 'Shorten this to two sentences.' In my testing, it's excellent for overcoming writer's block and refining drafts, but always review its output—it's an assistant, not an author.
Use the plagiarism checker before submitting any academic or public-facing work.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Blindly accepting all suggestions, especially 'word choice' (green). This can strip your unique voice. Always read the suggestion in context first.
Not setting Goals for each document. This leads to generic advice that may not suit your email, essay, or social post.
Forgetting to add specialized terms to your personal dictionary, causing constant false error flags for names and jargon.
Relying solely on the browser extension and missing out on the more powerful editing tools in the full Grammarly Editor web app.