PROPER function
PROPER capitalizes the first letter of each word and lowercases the rest. It cleans up names, cities and titles typed in all caps or all lowercase, though it needs help with names like McDonald and small words like "of".
- Available in
- Every current version
- Category
- Text functions
- Returns
- Text with the first letter of each word capitalized.
Syntax
=PROPER(text)
| Argument | Required? | What it is |
|---|---|---|
text | Required | The text or cell to convert. |
Examples
Each result below is calculated from the sample sheet by our formula engine, the same one that grades the practice.
| Cell | Formula | Result | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| D2 | =PROPER(A2) | Maya Chen | An all-caps name in name case |
| D3 | =PROPER(B3) | New York | A city in title case |
| D4 | =PROPER(C4) | Head Of Sales | Small words get a capital too: "Of" |
Try it live
This is the sample sheet. Change any number or text, or edit a formula, and the results update.
Show the sample data as a table
| Name | City | Title | Result |
| MAYA CHEN | st. paul | vp, finance | Maya Chen |
| raj patel | NEW YORK | sales lead | New York |
| liam o'brien | eden prairie | head of SALES | Head Of Sales |
Practice PROPER
From lesson 15, Cleaning messy data. Graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data.
Clean names
B2, remove extra spaces and convert to Proper Case. Fill down to B6.Common mistakes
| What you see | Why, and how to fix it |
|---|---|
| Mc and Mac names | PROPER turns MCDONALD into Mcdonald. Fix exceptions afterward with SUBSTITUTE, or by hand. |
| Small words capitalized | "head of sales" becomes "Head Of Sales". Lowercase them again with SUBSTITUTE: =SUBSTITUTE(PROPER(A2)," Of "," of "). |
| Acronyms lose their capitals | PROPER turns "IBM partner" into "Ibm Partner". Keep acronyms in their own column or restore them with SUBSTITUTE. |
Tips
- Clean spacing and case in one step with =PROPER(TRIM(A2)).
- PROPER also capitalizes after an apostrophe or hyphen, so o'brien-smith becomes O'Brien-Smith.
Questions
How do I capitalize the first letter of each word in Excel?
Use =PROPER(A2). It capitalizes every word and lowercases the rest of each word.
How do I capitalize only the first letter of a sentence?
Combine UPPER, LOWER, LEFT and MID: =UPPER(LEFT(A2,1))&LOWER(MID(A2,2,999)).
Lessons that use PROPER
Last reviewed October 2026. Every example result on this page is calculated live by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine.