v150 · HTML · Input

Form Field Matrix

The right autocorrect setting depends on what the field collects. A natural-language comment box benefits from on; a code editor, username, or URL field needs off to avoid mangling identifiers. This matrix shows the recommended setting for each common field type — and lets you type into each to feel the difference.

Field type	autocorrect	Why
Comment / prose	on	Natural language — OS corrections improve readability
Username	off	Exact match required — "johndoe" must not become "John Doe"
Password	off	Literal characters — any substitution breaks authentication
Email address	off	Structured syntax — "user@example.com" must not be altered
URL / slug	off	Path components have reserved characters that autocorrect mangles
Code editor	off	Identifiers, keywords — "innerHTML" must not become "inner HTML"
Search box	on	Users expect spell correction while querying
API key / token	off	Cryptographic strings — zero tolerance for substitution
Display name	on	Prose — capitalisation and corrections are welcome
Phone number	off	Numeric/symbolic — autocorrect changes nothing useful

Try it — type in each field

comment (autocorrect="on") on

Try misspellings — OS autocorrect should kick in on mobile

username (autocorrect="off") off

Autocorrect disabled — underscores and lowercase preserved

code snippet (autocorrect="off") off

Autocorrect off — identifiers and camelCase preserved

URL slug (autocorrect="off") off

Autocorrect off — hyphens and lowercase stay intact

display name (autocorrect="on") on

Autocorrect on — "smtih" → "Smith" welcome here

code

<!-- Natural language: autocorrect on (default in most contexts) -->
<textarea autocorrect="on"></textarea>

<!-- Structured / code / credentials: must be off -->
<input type="text"  autocorrect="off" autocomplete="username">
<input type="text"  autocorrect="off" name="api-key">
<textarea           autocorrect="off"></textarea> <!-- code editor -->

<!-- Disable for an entire form -->
<form autocorrect="off">
  <input type="text" name="slug">
  <input type="text" name="token">
  <!-- Individual field can re-enable if needed -->
  <input type="text" name="bio" autocorrect="on">
</form>

// JS access (Chrome 150):
input.autocorrect; // "on" | "off"
input.autocorrect = "off";

Try it — type in each field

code

see also