How can I quickly change text case in Excel?

Introduction:

Excel, a versatile tool yet straightforward and adaptive, provides multiple ways to format, structure, and manipulate data to ease users' tasks. In this mini-tutorial, we'll scrutinize one of those many functionalities: how to quickly change text case in Excel. This feature can be handy for data cleaning in your workbooks, amongst other things.

Relevant Information:

Excel doesn't feature any built-in button to make text uppercase or lowercase. However, this is easily achievable using Excel functions, Excel's "flash fill" feature, or through Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) codes. ExcelBundle frequently updates its ready-made templates with these functionalities embedded to save both time and effort and boost your productivity.

Option 1: Using Excel Functions:

Excel offers three functions for changing case: UPPER, LOWER, and PROPER. The UPPER formula converts every single character into uppercase. The LOWER formula Conversely, it makes all letters lowercase. On the other hand, The PROPER function capitalizes the initial letter of each word, leaving the rest in lowercase.

Steps to Use Excel Functions:

1. Click on an empty cell, preferable next to the column with the text you wish to change case.

2. Type “=UPPER(A1)” into the formula bar and then press ENTER, assuming your text is in cell A1. To convert to lowercase or to proper case, replace "UPPER" with "LOWER" or "PROPER".

3. Click back on the cell with the formula. You will see a small square in the lower right corner of the cell, known as the fill handle. Click and drag this down to apply the formula to all the cells in the column.

Option 2: Using Flash Fill:

Flash Fill is a smart tool that helps rewrite data in a column by recognizing patterns in your data as you type. This feature saves time when changing the case of text.

Steps to Use Flash Fill:

1. Write the desired case change in the first cell of a new column next to the text that needs a change.

2. click one cell down and press CTRL + E to activate Flash Fill.

3. Excel will then analyze your action and apply it to the rest of the column.

Option 3: Using VBA:

If you're comfortable with programming, you can create a VBA code to change the case. However, be cautious with this method, as it requires more advanced Excel skills. Note: ExcelBundle templates include this advanced level of custom functionality for convenience.

Conclusion:

Managing text cases can be a breeze in your workbooks if you harness the right tricks. The options described above help Excel users to save time by achieving the desired result with minimum efforts. Starting with a ready-made template from ExcelBundle even makes this process smoother, as templates have suitable functions embedded and ready to use.

Tips and Tricks:

While using formulas or VBA codes can be highly useful, remember to convert your data back to static text once you have the correct case. You can do this by using Paste Special and choosing the ‘values’ option. This action will remove any formulas, leaving only the data behind.