Unable to switch off text replacement or curved quotes in WhatsApp for Mac

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Level 1

29 points

Unable to switch off text replacement or curved quotes in WhatsApp for Mac

I am unable to switch off text replacement or curved quotes in WhatsApp for Mac Desktop. I'm using Mac OS Tahoe 26.2 and WhatsApp 26.4.18 but this issue has been around for years.

Sometimes I switch off curved quotes in Edit > Substitutions and WhatsApp *instantly* turns them back on. This is very frustrating because French uses different curved quotes than English, and WhatsApp doesn't detect in which language I'm writing. I might be using a French keyboard layout and yet writing in English, for example.

I've tried disabling text replacements generally in System Preferences > Keyboard > Text input. It has no effect on WhatsApp.

I've also tried in Terminal: "defaults write desktop.WhatsApp WebAutomaticTextReplacementEnabled -bool false". It has no effect.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Jan 29, 2026 9:36 AM

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Answer 1

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,282 points

Jan 29, 2026 2:32 PM in response to jfclemay

jfclemay wrote:

this issue has been around for years.

only the people who make WhatsApp can ever fix this problem, so you need to keep complaining to them about it.

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Answer 2

Jan 29, 2026 9:43 AM in response to jfclemay

For third-party apps, the first thing to try is to delete the app and then reinstall it. If that doesn't work, contact the developer.

For what it's worth, Meta seems to have been having a lot of trouble getting any of their Apple apps to work properly.

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Answer 3

leroydouglas

Level 10

199,506 points

Jan 29, 2026 4:27 PM in response to jfclemay

jfclemay wrote:

I am unable to switch off text replacement or curved quotes in WhatsApp for Mac Desktop. I'm using Mac OS Tahoe 26.2 and WhatsApp 26.4.18 but this issue has been around for years.

I've tried disabling text replacements generally in System Preferences > Keyboard > Text input. It has no effect on WhatsApp.

I've also tried in Terminal: "defaults write desktop.WhatsApp WebAutomaticTextReplacementEnabled -bool false". It has no effect.

if in doubt search the developers website or contact their: Support/Help/FAQ/Known issues/compatibility/updates…

Contact a third-party vendor - Apple Support

ref: https://faq.whatsapp.com/

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Answer 4

KiltedTim

Level 10

226,254 points

Jan 29, 2026 2:58 PM in response to jfclemay

What did WhatsApp support tell you when you reported the problem to them?

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