Capitalise word in excel

Unlike Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel doesn’t have a Change Case button for changing capitalization. However, you can use the UPPER, LOWER, or PROPER functions to automatically change the case of existing text to uppercase, lowercase, or proper case. Functions are just built-in formulas that are designed to accomplish specific tasks—in this case, converting text case.

How to Change Case

In the example below, the PROPER function is used to convert the uppercase names in column A to proper case, which capitalizes only the first letter in each name.

1. First, insert a temporary column next to the column that contains the text you want to convert. In this case, we’ve added a new column (B) to the right of the Customer Name column.

   

   In cell B2, type =PROPER(A2), then press Enter.
   

   This formula converts the name in cell A2 from uppercase to proper case. To convert the text to lowercase, type =LOWER(A2) instead. Use =UPPER(A2) in cases where you need to convert text to uppercase, replacing A2 with the appropriate cell reference.

2. Now, fill down the formula in the new column. The quickest way to do this is by selecting cell B2, and then double-clicking the small black square that appears in the lower-right corner of the cell.
   
    

   Tip: If your data is in an Excel table, a calculated column is automatically created with values filled down for you when you enter the formula.

3. At this point, the values in the new column (B) should be selected. Press CTRL+C to copy them to the Clipboard.
   

   Right-click cell A2, click Paste, and then click Values. This step enables you to paste just the names and not the underlying formulas, which you don’t need to keep.

4. You can then delete column (B), since it is no longer needed.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

See Also

Use AutoFill and Flash Fill

How to Change Case in Excel: Upper, Lower, and More (2023)

How to Change Case in Excel: Upper, Lower, and More (2023)

Sometimes, you need to change the letter case of a text for proper capitalization of names, places, and things. In Microsoft Word, it’s easy to do that using the Change Case button.

However, there is no Change Case button in Microsoft Excel 🙁 Then how do you change the letter case of texts in Excel? How much more if you need to change the letter case of texts of large data sets? 😱

Good news! Changing the letter case of text is possible in Excel, and you don’t have to manually do it at all!

Excel offers you the UPPER, LOWER, and PROPER functions to automatically change text values to upper case, lower case, or proper case 😊

Let’s do it!

Before you scroll down, make sure to download this free practice workbook we’ve prepared for you to work on.

How to change case to uppercase

To change the case of text into uppercase means to capitalize all lowercase letters in a text string. Simply put, to change them to ALL CAPS.

You can do this in Excel by using the UPPER function. It has the following syntax:

=UPPER(text)

The only argument in this function is the text. It refers to the text that you want to be converted to uppercase. This can be a reference or text string.

It’s time to open your practice workbook and put this function into action 💪

You will see a column named Original Data which contains names, places, and sentences that are written in different text case formats.

You may have encountered this in real life where you have to work with data that do not appear in a format that you want.

Let’s convert text data in the original data column into uppercase using the UPPER function.

1. Double-click on cell B2 to put the cell in Edit mode.

1. Type the UPPER function:

=UPPER(

1. The first and only argument in the UPPER function is the text. You can type in the text string or simply click the cell reference of the text you want to convert to uppercase 😊

In our case, click cell A2. Close the formula with a right parenthesis.

The formula should now look like this:

=UPPER(A2)

1. Press Enter.

You have successfully changed the text case to all caps 👍

1. Fill in the rest of the rows by dragging down the fill handle or double-clicking it.

All caps in no time!

You don’t have to worry about converting text in large data sets into uppercase. The UPPER function is all you need!

But what if you need to capitalize only the first letter of the text, not all the text characters of the whole text string? 🤔

No worries, Excel can help you do that too using the PROPER function!

Kasper Langmann, Microsoft Office Specialist

Capitalize the first letter using the PROPER function

As the name of the function suggests, the PROPER function converts text into proper form or case. It only capitalizes the first letter of each substring of text.

The text could be a single word. It could also be multiple words such as first and last names, cities and states, abbreviations, suffixes, and honorifics/titles.

The PROPER function follows the same syntax and arguments as the UPPER and LOWER functions:

=PROPER(text)

In a new column of our practice workbook, let’s convert the text string to the proper case 😊

1. Double-click cell C2.

1. Type the PROPER function:

=PROPER(

1. Click cell A2 as your text. Then close the formula with a right parenthesis.

=PROPER(A2)

1. Press Enter. Fill in the rest of the rows using the fill handle.

Only the first letter of each of the substrings of the whole text string is capitalized.

As mentioned above, this works best in converting first and last names, cities and states, abbreviations, and more.

You can convert the text in Microsoft Excel into the proper case in no time! 😀

Pro Tip!

Excel automatically suggests formulas as you type.

For example, you can just type “=pro” and the suggestion for “=PROPER” will appear.

Press the Tab key to input the suggested formula.

How to change case to lowercase

If you have a list that comes in all caps, you can convert them all to lowercase using the LOWER function.

This is the syntax of the LOWER function:

=LOWER(text)

Remember Column B in our practice workbook where we placed all converted uppercase text? Let’s convert that to lowercase letters.

Let’s create a new column where we will place the text converted to lowercase 👇

1. Start by double-clicking cell D2.

1. Type the formula:

=LOWER(B2)

1. Press Enter. Fill in the other rows by double-clicking the fill handle or dragging it down.

Now all text is now in lowercase letters 👍

This is how your practice workbook should look overall ✨

Comparing the data in the original column, you can convert any text data into upper case, proper case, or lower case.

For UPPER and LOWER functions, it would just change all the text characters to upper case or lower case.

For the PROPER function, there are a couple of limitations you need to be aware of ✍

As you know, it only capitalizes the first character in a text string. The limitation is that it does not know the difference between an actual word and an abbreviation – like an acronym for instance.

For example, if we apply the PROPER function to something like “FIFA”, it will return “Fifa”.

Another example would be using the suffix “md” for a medical doctor. If we apply the PROPER function to it, it will return “Md”.

This is not the desired outcome and should be kept in mind 💭

That’s it – Now what?

Nice work! Now you know how to convert text into upper, proper, and lower letter cases. You won’t have to worry about changing letter cases of large sets of data, and no more manual typing 🥳

Convert text like a pro, get work done faster, and impress your boss with this advanced skill in Microsoft Excel.

There are still so many functions in Excel that will help you save a lot of work. Learn functions you actually NEED like the IF, the SUMIF, and the most popular Excel function: the VLOOKUP function 🚀

You might be thinking 🤔 if there is an easy and quick way to learn these.

Of course! Join my FREE Excel Intermediate Training where I send you free lessons about the IF, SUMIF, and VLOOKUP function. Plus, you’ll learn how to effectively clean your data in Excel too.

Click here to join 😀

Other resources

Do you want to extract text substrings in Excel instead? Learn exactly with LEFT, RIGHT, and MID Functions in Excel. Read more here.

You can also learn how to convert numbers or dates to text to increase their readability or to bring them to a certain format. You can do that using the TEXT function in Excel! Read about Excel’s TEXT function here.

I hope this was a helpful read 👋

Frequently asked questions

You can use the UPPER function to convert small letters to capital letters.

1. In a cell, type “=UPPER(“
2. Click the cell reference of the text you want to convert to capital letters, then close the formula with a right parenthesis.
3. Press Enter.

Kasper Langmann2023-02-23T14:55:02+00:00

Capitalize all letters in cells with formula

1. Select a blank cell adjacent to the cell you want to capitalize all letters.
2. Type formula =UPPER(A1) into the Formula Bar, then press the Enter key.
3. Drag the Fill Handle down to the range which you need to capitalize all letters.

In cell B2, type =PROPER(A2), then press Enter. This formula converts the name in cell A2 from uppercase to proper case. To convert the text to lowercase, type =LOWER(A2) instead. Use =UPPER(A2) in cases where you need to convert text to uppercase, replacing A2 with the appropriate cell reference.

What is the shortcut to capitalize letters in Excel?

Whenever we want to make the text all caps (uppercase), we must select the corresponding cells and press the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + A using the keyboard. The selected cells or text will be converted to uppercase instantly at one go.

How do you capitalize text in sheets?

In a spreadsheet cell type =UPPER( and click on the cell that contains text that you want in uppercase. Press enter. =UPPER(A1) will express what is in A1 to uppercase.

How do you capitalize text?

Highlight all the text you want to change. Hold down the Shift and press F3 . When you hold Shift and press F3, the text toggles from sentence case (first letter uppercase and the rest lowercase), to all uppercase (all capital letters), and then all lowercase.

How do you capitalize all words in Word?

Select the text you want to change to uppercase, then go to the Home tab. In the Font group, select the Change Case drop-down arrow. Choose UPPERCASE to change the selected text to all uppercase letters.

Does shift F3 work in Excel?

For example, you could copy and paste text from Excel to Microsoft Word and use the shortcut key Shift + F3 to change text between uppercase, lowercase, and proper case. Use our text tool to convert any text from uppercase to lowercase.

How do you capitalize the first letter in a spreadsheet?

To capitalize the first letter of each word in Google Sheets, do the following:

1. Type “=PROPER(” into a spreadsheet cell, as the beginning of your formula.
2. Type “A2” (or any other cell reference) to set the reference of the cell that contains the words to be capitalized.
3. Type “)” to complete/close your formula.

How do you change lowercase to uppercase without retyping?

To use a keyboard shortcut to change between lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Capitalize Each Word, select the text and press SHIFT + F3 until the case you want is applied.

What does Alt F5 do in Excel?

h) Alt + Ctrl + Shift + F4: “Alt + Ctrl + Shift + F4” keys closes all open Excel file i.e. these work similar to “Alt + F4” keys. “F5” key is used to display “Go To” dialog box; it will help you in viewing named range. This will restore windows size of the current excel workbook.

What does Alt R do in Excel?

In Microsoft Excel, pressing Alt + R opens the Review tab in the Ribbon. After using this shortcut, you can press an additional key to select a Review tab option.

What does Alt F1 do in Excel?

F1 Displays the Excel Help task pane. Ctrl+F1 displays or hides the ribbon. Alt+F1 creates an embedded chart of the data in the current range. Alt+Shift+F1 inserts a new worksheet.

How do you capitalize words in Google Docs?

Google Docs also includes a capitalization tool, hidden in its menus. Select your text, click the Format menu, then select Capitalization and choose the case you want.

What does Alt F9 do in Excel?

Ctrl+Alt+F9: Calculates all worksheets in all open workbooks, regardless of whether they have changed since the last calculation.

What does F9 do on Excel?

F9. Calculates the workbook. By default, any time you change a value, Excel automatically calculates the workbook. Turn on Manual calculation (on the Formulas tab, in the Calculation group, click Calculations Options, Manual) and change the value in cell A1 from 5 to 6.

What does Ctrl F11 do in Excel?

Ctrl + F11. “Ctrl + F11” keys add a macro sheet in your currently open excel workbook with a default name like “Macro1, Macro2, etc”. These “Macro Sheets” were actually used to store macros in the excel versions prior to Excel 97.

This post will guide you how to capitalize the first letter of each word in a cell in Excel. How do I capitalize the first letter only with a formula or VBA Macro in Excel.

• Capitalize the First Letter of Each Word with Formula
• Capitalize the First Letter of Each Word with VBA Code
• Video: Capitalize the First Letter of Each Word

Capitalize the First Letter of Each Word with Formula

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Assuming that you have a list of cells with various phrases in range B1:B4 and you only want the first letter of each word is capitalized. How to achieve it. You can use a formula based on the PROPER function to achieve the result. Just like this:

=PROPER(B1)

Type this formula into a blank cell and press Enter key and then drag the AutoFill Handle over to other cells to apply this formula.

You will see that the first letter of each word in cells have been capitalized.

Capitalize the First Letter of Each Word with VBA Code

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You can also use an Excel VBA macro to achieve the result of capitalizing the first letter of each word in cells. Just do the following steps:

#1 open your excel workbook and then click on “Visual Basic” command under DEVELOPER Tab, or just press “ALT+F11” shortcut.

#2 then the “Visual Basic Editor” window will appear.

#3 click “Insert” ->”Module” to create a new module.

#4 paste the below VBA code into the code window. Then clicking “Save” button.

Sub CapitalizeFirstLetter()
    Set myRange = Application.Selection
    Set myRange = Application.InputBox("Select range of cells that you want to capitalize the first letter", "CapitalizeFirstLetter", myRange.Address, Type:=8)
    For Each myCell In myRange
       myCell.Value = Application.Proper(myCell.Value)
    Next
End Sub

#5 back to the current worksheet, then run the above excel macro. Click Run button.

#6 Select range of cells that you want to capitalize the first letter.

#7 Let’s see the last result:

Video: Capitalize the First Letter of Each Word

You’ve probably come across this situation before.

You have a list of names and it’s all lower case letter. You need to fix them so they are all properly capitalized.

With hundreds of names in your list, it’s going to be a pain to go through and edit first and last names.

Thankfully, there are some easy ways to change the case of any text data in Excel. We can change text to lower case, upper case or proper case where each word is capitalized.

In this post, we’re going to look at using Excel functions, flash fill, power query, DAX and power pivot to change the case of our text data.

Video Tutorial

Using Excel Formulas To Change Text Case

The first option we’re going to look at is regular Excel functions. These are the functions we can use in any worksheet in Excel.

There’s a whole category of Excel functions to deal with text, and these three will help us to change the text case.

LOWER Excel Worksheet Function

=LOWER(Text)

The LOWER function takes one argument which is the bit of Text we want to change into lower case letters. The function will evaluate to text that is all lower case.

UPPER Excel Worksheet Function

=UPPER(Text)

The UPPER function takes one argument which is the bit of Text we want to change into upper case letters. The function will evaluate to text that is all upper case.

PROPER Excel Worksheet Function

=PROPER(Text)

The PROPER function takes one argument which is the bit of Text we want to change into proper case. The function will evaluate to text that is all proper case where each word starts with a capital letter and is followed by lower case letters.

Copy And Paste Formulas As Values

After using the Excel formulas to change the case of our text, we may want to convert these to values.

This can be done by copying the range of formulas and pasting them as values with the paste special command.

Press Ctrl + C to copy the range of cells ➜ press Ctrl + Alt + V to paste special ➜ choose Values from the paste options.

Using Flash Fill To Change Text Case

Flash fill is a tool in Excel that helps with simple data transformations. We only need to provide a couple examples of the results we want, and flash fill will fill in the rest.

Flash fill can only be used directly to the right of the data we’re trying to transform. We need to type out a couple of examples of the results we want. When Excel has enough examples to figure out the pattern, it will show the suggested data in a light grey font. We can accept this suggested filled data by pressing Enter.

We can also access flash fill from the ribbon. Enter the example data ➜ highlight both the examples and cells that need to be filled ➜ go to the Data tab ➜ press the Flash Fill command found in the Data Tools section.

We can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + E for flash fill.

Flash fill will work for many types of simple data transformations including changing text between lower case, upper case and proper case.

Using Power Query To Change Text Case

Power query is all about data transformation, so it’s sure there is a way to change the case of text in this tool.

With power query we can transform the case into lower, upper and proper case.

Select the data we want to transform ➜ go to the Data tab ➜ select From Table/Range. This will open up the power query editor where we can apply our text case transformations.

Text.Lower Power Query Function

Select the column containing the data we want to transform ➜ go to the Add Column tab ➜ select Format ➜ select lowercase from the menu.

= Table.AddColumn(#"Changed Type", "lowercase", each Text.Lower([Name]), type text)

This will create a new column with all text converted to lower case letters using the Text.Lower power query function.

Text.Upper Power Query Function

Select the column containing the data we want to transform ➜ go to the Add Column tab ➜ select Format ➜ select UPPERCASE from the menu.

= Table.AddColumn(#"Changed Type", "UPPERCASE", each Text.Upper([Name]), type text)

This will create a new column with all text converted to upper case letters using the Text.Upper power query function.

Text.Proper Power Query Function

Select the column containing the data we want to transform ➜ go to the Add Column tab ➜ select Format ➜ select Capitalize Each Word from the menu.

= Table.AddColumn(#"Changed Type", "Capitalize Each Word", each Text.Proper([Name]), type text)

This will create a new column with all text converted to proper case lettering, where each word is capitalized, using the Text.Proper power query function.

Using DAX Formulas To Change Text Case

When we think of pivot tables, we generally think of summarizing numeric data. But pivot tables can also summarize text data when we use the data model and DAX formulas. There are even DAX formula to change text case before we summarize it!

First, we need to create a pivot table with our text data. Select the data to be converted ➜ go to the Insert tab ➜ select PivotTable from the tables section.

In the Create PivotTable dialog box menu, check the option to Add this data to the Data Model. This will allow us to use the necessary DAX formula to transform our text case.

Creating a DAX formula in our pivot table can be done by adding a measure. Right click on the table in the PivotTable Fields window and select Add Measure from the menu.

This will open up the Measure dialog box, where we can create our DAX formulas.

LOWER DAX Function

=CONCATENATEX( ChangeCase, LOWER( ChangeCase[Mixed Case] ), ", ")

We can enter the above formula into the Measure editor. Just like the Excel worksheet functions, there is a DAX function to convert text to lower case.

However, in order for the expression to be a valid measure, it will need to be wrapped in a text aggregating function like CONCATENATEX. This is because measures need to evaluate to a single value and the LOWER DAX function does not do this on it’s own. The CONCATENATEX function will aggregate the results of the LOWER function into a single value.

We can then add the original column of text into the Rows and the new Lower Case measure into the Values area of the pivot table to produce our transformed text values.

Notice the grand total of the pivot table contains all the names in lower case text separated by a comma and space character. We can hide this part by going to the Table Tools Design tab ➜ Grand Totals ➜ selecting Off for Rows and Columns.

UPPER DAX Function

=CONCATENATEX( ChangeCase, UPPER( ChangeCase[Mixed Case] ), ", ")

Similarily, we can enter the above formula into the Measure editor to create our upper case DAX formula. Just like the Excel worksheet functions, there is a DAX function to convert text to upper case.

Creating the pivot table to display the upper case text is the same process as with the lower case measure.

Missing PROPER DAX Function

We might try and create a similar DAX formula to create proper case text. But it turns out there is no function in DAX equivalent to the PROPER worksheet function.

Using Power Pivot Row Level Formulas To Change Text Case

This method will also use pivot tables and the Data Model, but instead of DAX formulas we can create row level calculations using the Power Pivot add-in.

Power pivot formulas can be used to add new calculated columns in our data. Calculations in these columns happen for each row of data similar to our regular Excel worksheet functions.

Not every version of Excel has power pivot available and you will need to enable the add-in before you can use it. To enable the power pivot add-in, go to the File tab ➜ Options ➜ go to the Add-ins tab ➜ Manage COM Add-ins ➜ press Go ➜ check the box for Microsoft Power Pivot for Excel.

We will need to load our data into the data model. Select the data ➜ go to the Power Pivot tab ➜ press the Add to Data Model command.

This is the same data model as creating a pivot table and using the Add this data to the Data Model checkbox option. So if our data is already in the data model we can use the Manage data model option to create our power pivot calculations.

LOWER Power Pivot Function

=LOWER(ChangeCase[Mixed Case])

Adding a new calculated column into the data model is easy. Select an empty cell in the column labelled Add Column then type out the above formula into the formula bar. You can even create references in the formula to other columns by clicking on them with the mouse cursor.

Press Enter to accept the new formula.

The formula will appear in each cell of the new column regardless of which cell was selected. This is because each row must use the same calculation within a calculated column.

We can also rename our new column by double clicking on the column heading. Then we can close the power pivot window to use our new calculated column.

When we create a new pivot table with the data model, we will see the calculated column as a new available field in our table and we can add it into the Rows area of the pivot table. This will list out all the names in our data and they will all be lower case text.

UPPER Power Pivot Function

=UPPER(ChangeCase[Mixed Case])

We can do the same thing to create a calculated column that converts the text to upper case by adding a new calculated column with the above formula.

Again, we can then use this as a new field in any pivot table created from the data model.

Missing PROPER Power Pivot Function

Unfortunately, there is no power pivot function to convert text to proper case. So just like DAX, we won’t be able to do this in a similar fashion to the lower case and upper case power pivot methods.

Conclusions

There are many ways to change the case of any text data between lower, upper and proper case.

• Excel Formulas are quick, easy and will dynamically update if the inputs ever change.
• Flash fill is great for one-off transformations where you need to quickly fix some text and don’t need to update or change the data after.
• Power query is perfect for fixing data that will be imported regularly into Excel from an outside source.
• DAX and power pivot are can be used for fixing text to display within a pivot table.

Each option has different strengths and weaknesses so it’s best to become familiar will all methods so you can choose the one that will best suit your needs.

Supposing you have a list of text strings which words are in all uppercase, lowercase or mixed with lowercase and uppercase, in this situation, you need to make the first letter of each word in the cell to be uppercase, and others are lowercase as following screenshot shown. Do you have any good ways to capitalize or uppercase the first letter of each word for multiple cells quickly and easily in Excel?

Capitalize first letter of each word within cell with formula and VBA code

Capitalize first letter only within cell with formula

Capitalize first letter of each word or first letter only with Kutools for Excel

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Capitalize first letter of each word within cell with formula and VBA code

To make the first letter of each word within a cell capitalize, you can use the Proper function or a simple VBA code. Please do with following steps:

Method1: Proper function:

1. Enter this formula: =PROPER(A2) into a blank cell next to your data, B2 for instance, see screenshot:

2. And then drag the fill handle down to the cells that you want to apply this formula, and you can see all the first letters of each word within the cell have been capitalized. See screenshot:

Method2: VBA code:

The following VBA code also can help you to uppercase all of the first letter of each word in a cell.

1. Please hold down ALT + F11 keys to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

2. Click Insert > Module, and paste the following code in the Module Window.

VBA code: Capitalize first letter of each word in a cell

Sub Proper_Case()
'Updateby20150428
Dim x As Range
Dim Workx As Range
On Error Resume Next
xTitleId = "KutoolsforExcel"
Set Workx = Application.Selection
Set Workx = Application.InputBox("Range", xTitleId, Workx.Address, Type:=8)
For Each x In Workx
x.Value = Application.Proper(x.Value)
Next
End Sub

3. Then press F5 key to execute this code, and select the data range that you want to use in the popped out dialog box, see screenshot:

4. And then click OK button, all the first letter of each word in the cells have become capitalized.

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Capitalize first letter only within cell with formula

Sometimes, you just want to uppercase the first letter only and lowercase others in the cell, are you suffered with this problem in Excel? In fact, here is a formula may do you a favor to solve this task.

1. Type this formula into a blank cell besides your data, =UPPER(LEFT(A2,1))&LOWER(RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-1)), see screenshot:

2. Then drag the fill handle to the range of cells which you want to contain this formula, and only the first letter of the cells has become uppercase. See screenshot:

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Capitalize first letter of each word or first letter only with Kutools for Excel

If you have Kutools for Excel, with its Change Case feature, you can quickly capitalize both first letter of each word and first letter only in a cell.

After installing Kutools for Excel, please do as follows:

1. Select the data range that you want to use.

2. Click Kutools > Text > Change Case, see screenshot:

3. In the Change Case dialog box, if you select Proper Case, the first letter of each word will be capitalized, see screenshot:

If you choose Sentence case, only the first letter of the text strings are capitalized as following screenshot shown:

Download and free trial Kutools for Excel Now !

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Demo: Capitalize first letter of each word or first letter only with Kutools for Excel

Kutools for Excel: with more than 300 handy Excel add-ins, free to try with no limitation in 30 days. Download and free trial Now!