# How to change text to uppercase in Excel

Use =UPPER(A2). It returns the text with every letter in capitals; numbers and symbols stay as they are.

**Excel:** `=UPPER(A2)` (Every current version)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B |
| --- | --- |
| Code (as typed) | Uppercase |
| nw-1042 |  |
| Se-2087 |  |
| mn |  |
| usb-c dock |  |
| Abc123 |  |
| wi |  |

Formula in B2, filled to B7: `=UPPER(A2)`

Result: NW-1042; SE-2087; MN; USB-C DOCK; ABC123; WI

## How it works

UPPER converts each lowercase letter to its capital and leaves digits, dashes and spaces alone. Spreadsheets have no Change Case button like Word, so a formula in a helper column is the usual way to do it.

## Other ways

- `=UPPER(TRIM(A2))`: Also removes stray spaces, which is worth doing for imported codes you will look up later.

## Common mistakes

- The result is a new column. To replace the original text, copy the results and Paste Values over it, then delete the helper column.
- Lookups and COUNTIF ignore case anyway, so you don't need UPPER to make them match. You do need it for case-sensitive systems and tidy reports.

## Questions

**How do I change text to lowercase?**

Use `=LOWER(A2)`.

**How do I capitalize only the first letter of each word?**

Use `=PROPER(A2)`.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-30.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/change-text-to-uppercase