How to Change Case in Google Sheets (5 Fast Ways)

In this tutorial, I will show you how to change text cases in Google Sheets. You can convert any text into Upper case, Lower case, Proper case (also called the Title case), or Sentence case.

If you’re unfamiliar with these text cases, below is an example that shows what each of these looks like.

The fastest way to change cases in Google Sheets is by using the native menu or formulas. Essentially, you’ll be able to quickly make your text look as good as it does in Google Docs. I’ll show you how each of these works.

Method 1: The Native Menu (Fastest Way)

Best for: Quickly fixing static text without formulas.

Many users don’t realize that Google Sheets now has a native tool to change case without needing any add-ons or complex formulas. This feature is the quickest way to fix data in place.

1. Select the cells you want to change.
2. Go to the top menu and click Format > Text > Capitalization.
3. Choose UPPERCASE, lowercase, or Title Case.

Note: This changes the actual data in the cell. If you want to keep your original data and create a new version in a separate column, use the Formula method below.

Method 2: Change Case Using Formulas

There are three specific Google Sheets Functions (which can be used as formulas) that are meant to change the case of the text value. These are essential when you want to keep your source data (Column A) intact while creating a clean version in Column B.

• UPPER – The UPPER function converts the text into uppercase.
• LOWER – The LOWER function converts the text into lowercase.
• PROPER – The PROPER function converts text to mixed case, capitalizing the first letter of each word.

Each of these formulas takes a single argument as input, which is either the cell reference that contains the text or the text itself in double quotes. Note that these functions only work with texts, not numbers.

How to Capitalize All (UPPER) and Lowercase All (LOWER)

The UPPER function is used to capitalize all text in Google Sheets. It only has one argument, which is the text you want to convert.

For example, if you have written the text ‘lorem ipsum” in cell A1, here’s how to change the text to all caps. You can use the UPPER function below:

=UPPER(A1)

You can also hard-code the text into the formula directly:

=UPPER("lorem ipsum")

In both cases, the result would be LOREM IPSUM.

You can use the exact same logic with the LOWER function to convert everything to small letters, or the PROPER function to capitalize the first character of every word.

Method 3: How To Apply Sentence Case (The Workaround)

While there are dedicated formulas for UPPER, LOWER, and PROPER case, there is surprisingly no native function in Google Sheets for Sentence case (where only the first letter of the first word is capitalized).

However, you can still achieve this with a clever formula combination. This formula works by splitting your text, capitalizing the first letter, and joining it back together.

Use this formula to fix a single cell (A1):

=UPPER(LEFT(A1,1)) & LOWER(RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-1))

If you have a paragraph with multiple sentences (periods), you need a more robust version:

=ArrayFormula(join(". ",replace(transpose(TRIM(SPLIT( A1 , "." ))),1,1, upper(left(transpose(TRIM(SPLIT( A1 , "." ))),1))))&".")

One major drawback: Using formulas requires you to create a new column for the results. You then have to copy and paste (as values) to overwrite your original data. If you want to change the case without creating new columns, you should use the Add-on method below.

Did you notice the TRIM function? That removes spaces before and after a text string, so you don’t have any extraneous spaces in the cell.

Method 4: Using an Add-On (No Formulas Needed)

If you’re open to using an add-on, this is one of the easiest ways to handle case changes in bulk without writing a single line of code.

The best part about an add-on is that it works on your existing columns. This means that any case changes happen instantly with a single click—no extra cleanup required.

The add-on we recommend is ChangeCase. Here are the steps to install and use it:

1. Open your Google Sheet.
2. Click the Extensions tab > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
3. In the search bar, type ‘ChangeCase‘.
4. Click on the + Free button to install it.
5. You may need to log in to your Google account and click ‘Allow‘ to give it permission to run.

How to use it once installed:

1. Select the cells (or entire column) you want to change.
2. Go to Extensions > ChangeCase.
3. Select All uppercase, All lowercase, or First letter capital.

Since this uses a script in the background, it may take a few seconds if you have thousands of rows selected. Be patient!

Method 5: Change Text Cases with Apps Script

For power users who want a custom button to transform data instantly, Apps Script is the way to go. This is a bit more technical, but I have provided the code below so you can just copy and paste.

1. Go to Extensions > Apps Script.
2. Delete any code in the window and paste the following:

function toUpperCase() {
  var spreadsheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActive();
  var ranges = spreadsheet.getActiveRangeList().getRanges();
  
  // Loop through all selected ranges
  for (var i = 0; i < ranges.length; i++) {
    var range = ranges[i];
    var values = range.getValues();
    
    // Loop through cells and convert to Upper Case
    for (var row = 0; row < values.length; row++) {
      for (var col = 0; col < values[row].length; col++) {
        if (typeof values[row][col] === 'string') {
          values[row][col] = values[row][col].toUpperCase();
        }
      }
    }
    range.setValues(values);
  }
}

3. Click the Save icon (floppy disk) and name your project “Change Case”.
4. Click Run to test it. (You will need to authorize the script the first time).

Now, whenever you run this script, any text you have selected in your sheet will instantly turn into UPPERCASE. You can modify the code to .toLowerCase() if you prefer lowercase.

Common Questions About Changing Case

Here are answers to the most specific questions I get about formatting text in Google Sheets.

Wrapping Up

In this article, we have shown you how to master Google Sheets uppercase, how to turn all caps into lowercase, and how to convert to mixed cases. Whether you use the simple Format menu or the robust Apps Script, these are the easiest ways to clean your data.

If you found this article useful, feel free to check out our other articles on find and replace in Google Sheets.

You may also like the following articles:

• Convert Formulas to Values in Google Sheets
• How To Change Default Font in Google Sheets
• How To Insert CheckBox (Tick Box) in Google Sheets