How to Change Case in Word
To change case in Word, select the text and press Shift+F3. Each press switches the text between lowercase, UPPERCASE and Capitalize Each Word. The Change Case button on the Home tab gives the same options and two more.
This guide shows both ways, explains the five options of the Change Case menu, lists the related shortcuts and shows what to do when you need real title case.
How to change case in Word with Shift+F3
- Select the text you want to change.
- Press Shift+F3.
- Press it again until the text has the case you want.
Microsoft Support describes the shortcut like this: pressing Shift+F3 switches between lowercase, UPPERCASE and Capitalize Each Word. It is the fastest fix for a line typed with Caps Lock on.
On many laptops the F keys control sound or brightness. If nothing happens, hold the Fn key as well: Fn+Shift+F3.
To undo a case change, press Ctrl+Z.
How to use the Change Case button
- Select the text.
- Go to the Home tab and click Change case. The button shows the letters Aa.
- Choose one of the five options.
| Option | What Microsoft says it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence case | Capitalizes the first letter of a sentence and leaves all other letters lowercase | The quick brown fox |
| lowercase | Removes capital letters from the text | the quick brown fox |
| UPPERCASE | Capitalizes all of the letters | THE QUICK BROWN FOX |
| Capitalize Each Word | Capitalizes the first letter of each word and leaves the other letters lowercase | The Quick Brown Fox |
| tOGGLE cASE | Shifts between two case views: capital letters become small and small letters become capital | tHE qUICK bROWN fOX |
Sentence case and tOGGLE cASE are in the menu. Microsoft's description of Shift+F3 names only the other three.
Word shortcuts for capital letters
The list of keyboard shortcuts on Microsoft Support names three shortcuts for letter case. On a Mac, Command takes the place of Ctrl.
| Windows | Mac | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Shift+F3 | Shift+F3 | Switches the text between upper case, lower case and title case |
| Ctrl+Shift+A | Command+Shift+A | Changes the text to all upper case |
| Ctrl+Shift+K | Command+Shift+K | Applies small caps formatting |
Small caps are a font effect, not a case. The letters keep their case in the text and only look like small capital letters.
Why Word's title case is not real title case
Word has no option that follows the title case rules of a style guide. Capitalize Each Word puts a capital letter on every word, also on short words such as "of" and "the".
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Typed text | the lord of the rings |
| Capitalize Each Word in Word | The Lord Of The Rings |
| Title case in a style guide | The Lord of the Rings |
So after Capitalize Each Word, the short words have to be fixed by hand, one by one.
How to change case in Google Docs
Google Docs has a menu for the same job. Google announced it on its Workspace Updates blog with three options.
- Select the text.
- Open the Format menu, then Text, then Capitalization.
- Choose lowercase, UPPERCASE or Title Case.
Google describes its Title Case as capitalizing the first letter of each word. So it works like Capitalize Each Word in Word, and it has the same limit with short words. Google Docs has no sentence case option in this menu.
When an online case converter is easier
Shift+F3 is the best way for text that is already in a Word document. A tool in the browser helps in three cases.
- You need real title case. To change text case to title case with short words kept small, paste the heading and choose Title Case. "the lord of the rings" becomes "The Lord of the Rings".
- The text is not in Word. Text for an email, a form or a post can be fixed without opening a document.
- You need sentence case in Google Docs. Docs has no such option, so convert the text first and paste it back.
Excel has no Change Case button at all. The guide on how to change case in Excel shows the three functions it uses instead.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the shortcut to change case in Word?
- Shift+F3. Select the text and press it until the case is right. It switches between lowercase, UPPERCASE and Capitalize Each Word.
- How do I change capital letters to small letters in Word?
- Select the text and press Shift+F3 until it is in small letters, or click Change case on the Home tab and choose lowercase.
- Why does Shift+F3 not work?
- On many laptops the F keys have a second job. Hold the Fn key as well and press Fn+Shift+F3.
- Does Shift+F3 work on a Mac?
- Microsoft's list of shortcuts for Word gives Shift+F3 for Mac as well. On a Mac laptop you may need the Fn key too.
- Can Word make title case?
- Only Capitalize Each Word, which also capitalizes short words such as of and the. For title case by the rules, fix the short words by hand or use a case converter.