“It's” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” “Its” is a possessive form, as in “The organization changed its schedule.” The apostrophe in “it's” marks omitted letters; it does not show ownership.
Expand the contraction
When you are uncertain, substitute “it is” and then “it has.” If one fits the meaning and grammar, “it's” is likely correct. “It's been a busy morning” expands to “It has been a busy morning.” “It's ready” expands to “It is ready.” In “The printer needs its paper tray,” neither expansion works: “The printer needs it is paper tray” is not grammatical. The sentence needs the possessive “its.”
Examples in context
Why the pattern can feel confusing
Many possessive nouns use apostrophes: “the editor's notes,” “the team's plan.” Possessive pronouns follow a different pattern: “his,” “hers,” “ours,” “yours,” “theirs,” and “its” do not take an apostrophe to show possession. Avoid “its'.” That form is not the standard possessive or contraction. If you are referring to several things, restructure the sentence with a plural noun or “their” as appropriate rather than adding an apostrophe to “its.”
Proofread for meaning
Spellcheck may not flag the wrong choice because both “its” and “it's” are valid forms. Read the entire sentence and perform the expansion test. If a sentence becomes awkward even after you choose correctly, rewrite it: “The schedule for the event changed” may be clearer than a sentence with several nearby pronouns. As a short practice, complete “The club moved ___ meeting because ___ outgrown the room.” The answers are “its” and “it's”: the meeting belongs to the club, and the club “has outgrown” the room.
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