The fastest way to change case in Word

Open your document and select the text you want to change. Go to the Home tab at the top, find the Aa button in the toolbar (it's in the Font group, usually near Bold and Italic), click the small arrow next to it, and choose lowercase from the menu. Word will convert your selected text immediately.

If you can't find the Aa button, your version of Word may place it differently. The button looks like capital and lowercase letters together. Clicking the arrow next to it opens a dropdown with five case options: Sentence case, lowercase, UPPERCASE, Capitalize Each Word, and tOGGLE cASE.

This method works the same way in Word for Windows, Word for Mac, and Word Online. The text changes instantly — you don't need to save or confirm anything.

Key Takeaways

  • Select your text first, then use the Aa button on the Home tab to access case options.
  • Word offers five case styles: lowercase, UPPERCASE, Sentence case, Capitalize Each Word, and tOGGLE cASE.
  • The change happens immediately and you can undo it with Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) if you change your mind.
  • If you need to change case in a large document, you can select all text with Ctrl+A and apply the change to everything at once.

Where to find the case button in different Word versions

In Word 2019, 2021, and Word for Microsoft 365, the Aa button sits on the Home tab in the Font group, usually between the font color button and the text highlight button. It's a small icon with mixed-case letters.

In Word Online (the free version you access through your browser), the button is in the same location on the Home tab. The dropdown menu looks identical to the desktop version.

On Mac, the Home tab is called the Design tab in some versions, but the Aa button is still in the Font group. If you're using an older version of Word for Mac, check under the Format menu instead — you'll find a Text option that opens case choices.

Selecting text before you change the case

You must select text before Word will change its case. Click at the start of the text you want to change, then drag to the end. You can also click once, hold Shift, and click at the end of the section you want to select.

To select a single word, double-click it. To select an entire paragraph, triple-click anywhere in it. To select all text in your document, press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac).

If you try to use the case button without selecting text first, nothing will happen. Word needs to know which text to change.

What each case option does

Lowercase converts all letters to small letters. "HELLO WORLD" becomes "hello world". This is what you want if you're fixing text that was typed in all caps.

UPPERCASE converts all letters to capital letters. "Hello world" becomes "HELLO WORLD".

Sentence case capitalizes only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns. "hello WORLD" becomes "Hello world" (assuming "world" is not a proper noun).

Capitalize Each Word puts a capital letter at the start of every word. "hello world" becomes "Hello World". This is useful for titles.

tOGGLE cASE flips every letter — capitals become lowercase and lowercase become capitals. "Hello World" becomes "hELLO wORLD". This is rarely useful but can help you spot which letters were originally capitalized.

Undoing a case change you didn't mean to make

If you change the case and immediately realize it was wrong, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) to undo. You can undo multiple times to go back several steps if needed.

If you've already saved the document and closed it, you can still undo the change when you reopen it — as long as you haven't made other edits since. Open the file, press Ctrl+Z or Command+Z right away, and Word will reverse the last changes you made.

If you've saved multiple times since the case change, you may not be able to undo it. In that case, you'll need to manually select the text again and choose the correct case option.

Changing case in headers, footers, and special sections

The case button works the same way in headers and footers as it does in the main document. Click inside the header or footer area, select your text, and use the Aa button as usual.

If your document has different headers for odd and even pages, or different headers for the first page, you'll need to change the case in each section separately. Select the text in one header, change it, then move to the next header and repeat.

Text in tables, text boxes, and shapes also responds to the case button. Select the text inside any of these elements and the Aa button will work normally.

When the case button doesn't appear to work

If you click the case button and nothing happens, check that you actually selected text. Click somewhere in your document first, then select the text you want to change, and try again.

If the button is grayed out (lighter than the other buttons), you don't have text selected. Click in your document and select some text to activate it.

In rare cases, if your text is formatted with a special font or style that locks the case, Word may not be able to change it. This is uncommon in standard documents. If this happens, try copying the text, pasting it as plain text into a new area, and then changing the case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change case in Word on my phone or tablet?

Word for iPhone and iPad has the case button on the Home tab, but it's smaller and may be harder to find. Select your text, tap Home, look for the Aa button, and tap the arrow next to it to see your options. The process is the same as on desktop.

What if I want to change only part of a word to lowercase?

Select only the letters you want to change. For example, if you have "HeLLo" and want just the middle letters lowercase, click before the L, drag to after the second L, and apply lowercase. The result will be "HeLlo".

Does changing case affect the original formatting like bold or italics?

No. If your text was bold before you changed the case, it stays bold. All formatting except the letter case itself remains unchanged.

Can I set a default case style for new documents?

Word doesn't have a setting to automatically apply a case style to new text as you type. You'll need to change the case after you've typed the text, or type it in the case you want from the start.

Is there a keyboard shortcut for changing case without using the button?

Word doesn't have a single keyboard shortcut for case changes like some other programs do. You'll need to use the Aa button on the Home tab. However, you can add a keyboard shortcut yourself through Word's options if you use case changes frequently.