The fastest way to change text case in Word

Microsoft Word has a built-in tool to change text case without retyping. Select the text you want to change, go to the Home tab, find the Text group, click Change Case (it looks like "Aa"), and pick UPPERCASE from the menu. The text converts when ready.

This works on any amount of text — a single word, a sentence, a paragraph, or your entire document. You can also undo the change when ready if you made a mistake by pressing Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac).

Key Takeaways

  • Select your text first, then use Home > Change Case > UPPERCASE to convert it in one click.
  • The Change Case tool also offers Lowercase, Capitalize Each Word, and tOGGLE cASE if you need other formats.
  • If you cannot find the Change Case button, your ribbon may be collapsed — click the arrow next to the Text group to expand it.
  • Undo with Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac) if you change the wrong text or change your mind.

Step-by-step: selecting and converting text

Start by clicking at the beginning of the text you want to change. Hold down your mouse button and drag to the end of the text, or click once at the start and then Shift+click at the end. The text should be highlighted in blue when you have selected it correctly.

If you want to change your entire document, use Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) to select all text at once. Then follow the same steps to convert it.

Finding the Change Case button on your ribbon

Open the Home tab at the top of Word. Look for a group labeled Text — it sits near the right side of the ribbon, after the paragraph formatting buttons. Inside that group, you should see a button that looks like "Aa" with a small arrow next to it. That is the Change Case button.

If you do not see it, your ribbon may be showing a condensed view. Click the small arrow or expand icon next to the Text group name to reveal all the buttons in that group. On some versions of Word, the button may also appear as "Change Case" written out in full.

Other case options besides UPPERCASE

When you click Change Case, a menu appears with several choices. UPPERCASE makes all letters capital. lowercase makes all letters small. Capitalize Each Word puts a capital letter at the start of every word. tOGGLE cASE flips whatever case each letter already has — capitals become lowercase and lowercase become capitals.

Choose whichever format matches what you need. You can always undo and try a different option if the first one was not what you wanted.

What to do if the Change Case button is missing

If you have looked in the Home tab and cannot find the Change Case button, check your Word version. Older versions of Word (2007 and earlier) do not have this button in the same location. In those versions, go to Format > Text > Change Case instead.

If you are using Word Online (the free version in your web browser), the Change Case button is in the same Home tab location as the desktop version. If it still does not appear, try refreshing your browser or switching to the desktop version of Word.

Converting text in headers, footers, and text boxes

The Change Case tool works the same way in headers and footers as it does in the main document. Select the text, go to Home > Change Case, and pick your format. The same is true for text inside text boxes, shapes, or tables — select the text and use the button.

If you are working in a table cell, click inside the cell first to place your cursor there, then select the text you want to change. The process is identical to changing text anywhere else in the document.

Undoing a case change and trying again

If you changed text to uppercase and then realized you wanted a different format, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac) to undo. Your text returns to its original case. You can then select it again and choose a different option from the Change Case menu.

You can undo multiple times if you made several changes in a row. Each Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z takes you back one step. If you undo too far, press Ctrl+Y (Windows) or Cmd+Y (Mac) to redo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change case in just part of a word?

Yes. Select only the letters you want to change, then use Change Case. For example, you can select just the first letter of a word and make it uppercase while leaving the rest lowercase. The tool works on whatever text you have highlighted.

Does changing case affect formatting like bold or italics?

No. If text was bold before you changed its case, it stays bold. The Change Case tool only changes the letters themselves, not any formatting you applied to them.

What if I want to change case in multiple separate places in my document?

Change each section one at a time. Select the first section, explore the case change, then select the next section and repeat. There is no way to change multiple non-consecutive sections at once, but the process is still faster than retyping.

Will changing case affect my document's spell-check?

No. Word's spell-checker recognizes words regardless of their case. Changing text to uppercase will not create spelling errors or affect how Word checks your document for mistakes.