UPPER, LOWER and PROPER in Google Sheets
Change text case in Google Sheets: UPPER for ALL CAPS, LOWER for all lowercase, PROPER for Title Case — each with one simple function.
=UPPER(A2)
Converts all the text in A2 to UPPERCASE. Use LOWER for lowercase and PROPER for Title Case.
How it works
These three functions each take one piece of text and return it in a different case. UPPER makes every letter a capital, LOWER makes every letter small, and PROPER capitalises the first letter of each word. Numbers and symbols are left untouched. They do not change the original cell — they return a new value — so you usually put them in a helper column and paste the result back as values.
Variations
All lowercase
=LOWER(A2)
Great for cleaning email addresses.
Title Case
=PROPER(A2)
Capitalises the first letter of every word.
Convert a whole column
=ARRAYFORMULA(UPPER(A2:A100))
Returns an uppercase copy of the entire range.
Examples
| Scenario | Formula |
|---|---|
| Normalise emails to lowercase | =LOWER(B2) |
| Tidy up pasted names | =PROPER(TRIM(A2)) |
FAQ
How do I change case without a helper column?
Copy the formula results, then Edit > Paste special > Values only over the original cells, and delete the helper column.
Why does PROPER capitalise letters after apostrophes?
PROPER treats any non-letter, including an apostrophe, as a word break — so "o'brien" becomes "O'Brien". Fix odd cases manually or with SUBSTITUTE.
Can I capitalise only the first letter of a sentence?
Combine UPPER, LEFT and LOWER: =UPPER(LEFT(A2,1))&LOWER(MID(A2,2,LEN(A2))).
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