How to Change Text Case in Word, Google Docs, and Excel

Every writing app has a case command somewhere, but the commands are not in the same place and they do not all offer the same options. Word has a Change Case menu, Google Docs has a Format menu, and Excel has a formula rather than a one-click command. Knowing the built-in route saves time; knowing its limits saves a second edit.

The Case Converter is useful when the text is going somewhere else, or when you need a case the app does not offer, such as a consistent title case.

Microsoft Word

Select the text, then use Home > Change Case. The menu offers Sentence case, lowercase, UPPERCASE, Capitalise Each Word, and tOGGLE cASE. “Capitalise Each Word” is the closest thing to title case, but it capitalises every word, including short articles and prepositions. It is not the same as a style-guide title case.

Word also has a keyboard shortcut, Shift+F3, which cycles through sentence case, uppercase, and lowercase. It does not offer title case. If you need a consistent title, paste the text into the Case Converter and paste it back.

Google Docs

Select the text, then use Format > Text > Capitalisation. The options are lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Title Case. Google Docs’ Title Case capitalises most words but may leave short words lower case according to its own rule. It is convenient, but check the result against your style guide, especially for hyphenated words and the word after a colon.

Google Docs does not have a sentence-case command. If you need sentence case, convert the text in the Case Converter or retype the first word of each sentence. Retyping is slower but gives you a chance to check the punctuation at the same time.

Microsoft Excel

Excel does not change case in place. Use a helper column with a formula: =UPPER(A1), =LOWER(A1), or =PROPER(A1). PROPER capitalises the first letter of each word, which is close to title case but not identical; it also capitalises after apostrophes and hyphens in ways you may not want.

Copy the formula down, then copy the helper column and paste it back as values. If you paste the formula itself over the original, you create a circular reference. Paste Special > Values avoids that. For a one-off list, the converter is faster than setting up a formula.

When a dedicated converter is cleaner

A dedicated converter is better when the text is already in a browser, when you need a specific case that the app does not provide, or when you want to see the result before committing. It also avoids the risk of pasting a formula or rich formatting back into the document.

Use the Case Converter for the conversion, then paste as plain text. For the rules behind title case, read Title Case Rules for Headings, Book Titles, and Job Titles. For the wider choice of case, see Title Case, Sentence Case, or UPPERCASE.