Capitalizing the First Letter of a Cell

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 30, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365

1

Georgia has a column of text values extending over thousands of rows. She would like to change the capitalization of the text so that only the first letter of each cell is capitalized.

Assuming that the column, indeed, only contains text values, then you can use the following formula:

=UPPER(LEFT(A1)) & LOWER(MID(A1,2,LEN(A1)-1))

This formula assumes that the text values are in column A. Copy the formula down for as many rows as needed, and you'll have your result. If you simply want to make sure that the first character is uppercase without changing the case of anything else in the cell, then this shorter version will work:

=UPPER(LEFT(A1)) & MID(A1,2,LEN(A1)-1)

If, instead, you want to capitalize the first letter of each word in the cell, then the formula is even simpler:

=PROPER(A1)

These formulas presume that you have a spare column available to house the formula. If you prefer to make your changes in-place, then you'll need to rely on a macro to do the work. Here's an example:

Sub UpperFirst()
    Dim c As Range
    Dim t As String

    For Each c In Selection
        If Not IsEmpty(c.Value) And VarType(c.Value) = vbString Then
            t = Trim(c.Value)
            c.Value = UCase(Left(t, 1) & LCase(Mid(t,2))
        End If
    Next c
End Sub

Select the cells you want to affect, then run the macro. It makes sure that the cell contains something and that the something is really a text string. Then, it capitalizes the first letter and makes sure the rest is lowercase. In the process, it also deletes any leading or trailing spaces in the cell.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13952) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Excel in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Inserting a File Name without an Extension

Sometimes you might like to insert a file name into your document without including the file extension. The FILENAME ...

Discover More

Calculating a Future Date

Need to figure out a date a certain number of days, weeks, months, or years in the future? It's easy to do using the ...

Discover More

Different CSV Formats

Excel provides different CSV formats you can use to export your workbook data for use with other programs. What are those ...

Discover More

Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Automatically Numbering Rows

Adding row numbers to a column of your worksheet is easy; you just need to use a formula to do it. Here's a quick look at ...

Discover More

Picking Different Random Numbers from a Range

It is not unusual to need to select two random items from a list. There are a couple of ways you can approach the task; ...

Discover More

Figuring Out the Low-Score Winner

Need to figure out the lowest score in a range of scores? Here's the formulas to get the information you need.

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is four more than 4?

2025-08-30 06:09:56

Barry

Just what I neede thank you.
One small typo but took awhile to find it (still a novice!).
c.Value = UCase(Left(t, 1) & LCase(Mid(t,2))
s/b c.Value = UCase(Left(t, 1)) & LCase(Mid(t,2))
Just an extra bracket before '&': ...(Left(t, 1)) &...

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.