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Google Sheets Formulas

How to Capitalize the First Letter in Google Sheets

Learning how to capitalize the first letter only?

In this article, you will learn how to make the first letter uppercase and the rest of the letters lowercase with the PROPER function in Google Sheets. This formula is helpful when you need to make the style of letters consistent across a data set.

How to use the PROPER function in Google Sheets

  • Type “=PROPER(” or go to “Insert”“Function”“Text”“PROPER”.

  • Input a text value by cell reference or manual input.

  • Press the “Enter” key.

How to insert the PROPER function from the menu bar in Google Sheets

The generic syntax is as follows:

=PROPER(text_to_capitalize)

Text_to_capitalize: This is a text string in which you make a change.

See the following examples. Whatever cases of all letters in a selected text string, the PROPER formula makes the first letter uppercase and the rest lowercase. The last example shows manual input of a text value, “ABC”.

How the PROPER function works in Google Sheets

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How do you capitalize the first letter in a Google spreadsheet without a formula?

Unfortunately, you need to do it manually. If you are struggling with an inconsistency of case format in a data set, it may make sense to review the setting for importing or exporting the data from the third-party application to Google Sheets.

How do you capitalize letters in Google Sheets?

If you want to know how to capitalize all letters in a text string, check How to Capitalize All Letters in Google Sheets. Also, you can learn how to make all letters lowercase here: How to Make All Letters Lowercase in Google Sheets.

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