How to change lowercase to uppercase in word mac?
In Word for Mac, select the text and press Shift + F3. Each press cycles the selection through lowercase, UPPERCASE and Capitalize Each Word. If nothing happens, press fn + Shift + F3 instead — on most Mac keyboards the function keys need the fn modifier.
That is the fastest route. Word also has a full Change Case menu with five options, and it has a trap that catches a lot of people: a formatting effect that looks like uppercase but leaves the underlying text unchanged. This guide covers both, on Mac and on Windows.
Not in Word right now? Paste your text into the free case converter and click UPPERCASE. It works in any browser, on phone or desktop, with no sign-up.
Method 1: the Shift + F3 shortcut
- Select the text you want to change.
- Press Shift + F3.
- Press it again to move to the next style.
The cycle runs in a fixed order:
| Press | Result | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Start | your original text | annual sales report |
| 1st press | Capitalize Each Word | Annual Sales Report |
| 2nd press | UPPERCASE | ANNUAL SALES REPORT |
| 3rd press | lowercase | annual sales report |
The starting point of the cycle depends on the case of the text you selected, so if the first press does not give what you want, press again.
On a Mac, function keys are shared. By default F3 controls Mission Control rather than sending F3 to Word. Either press fn + Shift + F3, or turn on Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys in System Settings under Keyboard. After that, Shift + F3 works on its own.
Method 2: the Change Case menu
The menu gives you all five options directly, with no cycling.
- Select the text.
- On the Home tab, find the Aa button in the Font group.
- Click the small arrow beside it and choose an option.
| Option | What it does | Input: the CEO of NASA won. we start monday. |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence case. | Capitalizes the first letter of each sentence | The ceo of nasa won. We start monday. |
| lowercase | Removes every capital | the ceo of nasa won. we start monday. |
| UPPERCASE | Capitalizes everything | THE CEO OF NASA WON. WE START MONDAY. |
| Capitalize Each Word | Capitalizes the first letter of every word | The Ceo Of Nasa Won. We Start Monday. |
| tOGGLE cASE | Inverts every letter | THE ceo OF nasa WON. WE START MONDAY. |
Note what Word does to acronyms. Word’s Sentence case lowercases CEO and NASA, and its Capitalize Each Word turns NASA into Nasa. Word applies the rule mechanically with no exception list. Our online case converter keeps acronyms and brand names such as NASA, HTML and iPhone intact, which is usually what you actually want.
The All caps trap
Word has a second control that looks like a case change and is not one. Under Format > Font there is an All caps checkbox, also reachable with Cmd + Shift + A on Mac or Ctrl + Shift + A on Windows.
That checkbox is a display effect. It draws lowercase letters as capitals but leaves the stored characters exactly as they were. The consequences show up later:
- Copy the text into an email, a spreadsheet or a text editor and it reverts to its original case.
- Search for the uppercase form and Word does not find it, because the underlying text is still lowercase.
- Export to plain text or CSV and the capitals disappear.
Use Shift + F3 or the Aa menu when you want the characters themselves converted. Use All caps only when you want a heading to display in capitals while keeping the real text editable, which is a legitimate but different job.
Windows, the web and mobile
| Where | How to change case |
|---|---|
| Word for Mac | Shift + F3 or fn + Shift + F3; Home > Aa |
| Word for Windows | Shift + F3; Home > Aa |
| Word for the web | Look for the Aa control on the Home tab. If your version does not show it, use the desktop app or an online converter. |
| Word on iPad or Android | Home tab, then the Aa icon in the font section |
| Google Docs | Format > Text > Capitalization |
| Excel | No shortcut. Use =UPPER(A1) — see changing case in Excel |
Changing case across a long document
For a document of any length, select everything with Cmd + A on Mac or Ctrl + A on Windows before pressing Shift + F3. Two cautions before you do:
- It converts headings too. If your headings use a different case convention from the body, convert the body and headings separately.
- Undo is your friend. Cmd + Z reverses a case change cleanly, including on a whole-document selection.
To convert only part of a document scattered across pages, hold Cmd on Mac or Ctrl on Windows while selecting each block. Word applies the change to every selected region at once.
Why Word gets sentence case wrong on real text
Word’s Sentence case rule is: capitalize the letter after a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. That rule breaks on ordinary English in three ways:
| Input | Word gives | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| we meet at 3 p.m. today | We meet at 3 p.m. Today | We meet at 3 p.m. today |
| visit google.com now | Visit google.com Now | Visit google.com now |
| the CEO of NASA won | The ceo of nasa won | The CEO of NASA won |
Abbreviations, domain names and acronyms all defeat it. A converter with an abbreviation list and acronym protection handles them correctly — the rules involved are set out in our guide to sentence case.
Related capitalization questions
Changing the case of text is mechanical. Deciding which case is correct is not. Two rules cover most decisions: capitalize the first word of a sentence and every proper noun, and follow one consistent convention for headings. The full set is in capitalization rules in writing, and the choice between Title Case and Sentence case for headings is covered in should all letters in a title be capitalized.
Twelve case styles, acronyms protected. The upper lower case converter handles UPPERCASE, lowercase, Sentence case, Title Case, camelCase, snake_case and six more, with a live word and character count. Free, no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the shortcut to change lowercase to uppercase in Word on Mac?
Shift + F3, or fn + Shift + F3 if your function keys are set to their Mac defaults. Each press moves to the next case in the cycle.
Why does Shift + F3 do nothing on my Mac?
macOS is intercepting F3 for Mission Control. Add the fn key, or enable Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys in System Settings under Keyboard.
What is the difference between UPPERCASE and All caps in Word?
UPPERCASE in the Change Case menu converts the actual characters. All caps under Format > Font only changes how the text is drawn; copy it elsewhere and it reverts to its original case.
How do I change uppercase to lowercase in Word?
Select the text and choose lowercase from the Aa menu on the Home tab, or press Shift + F3 until the lowercase form appears.
Can I change the case of a whole document at once?
Yes. Press Cmd + A on Mac or Ctrl + A on Windows to select everything, then apply the change. Headings are converted too, so handle them separately if they follow a different convention.
Why does Word capitalize the word after an abbreviation?
Word’s Sentence case treats every full stop as the end of a sentence. It has no abbreviation list, so 3 p.m. today becomes 3 p.m. Today.
Does Word for the web have Change Case?
It depends on the version you are served. Look for the Aa control on the Home tab; if it is not there, use the desktop app or an online converter.
How do I capitalize only the first letter of each word?
Choose Capitalize Each Word from the Aa menu. Note that this also capitalizes short words such as of and the, which true Title Case leaves lowercase.
The short version
Select the text and press Shift + F3, adding fn on a Mac. For a specific style, use the Aa menu on the Home tab. Avoid the All caps checkbox unless you deliberately want a display effect rather than a real conversion. And when Word mangles acronyms or capitalizes after p.m., run the text through an online case converter that knows the exceptions.