Change Text to Lowercase in Excel

introduction to changing text to lowercase in excel

when working with text data in excel, it’s common to encounter words or phrases in uppercase or a mix of cases. to make your data more consistent and easier to read, you might need to change the text to lowercase. excel provides several ways to achieve this, from using formulas to applying text functions. in this article, we’ll explore the different methods to change text to lowercase in excel.

using the lower function

the lower function is a straightforward way to convert text to lowercase in excel. this function takes a text string as an argument and returns the string in lowercase. the syntax for the lower function is: lower(text) where text is the string you want to convert to lowercase. to use this function, follow these steps:

• select the cell where you want to display the lowercase text.
• type =lower( and then select the cell containing the text you want to convert.
• close the parenthesis and press enter.

for example, if you have the text “HELLO WORLD” in cell a1, you can use the formula =lower(a1) to convert it to lowercase.

using the flash fill feature

excel’s flash fill feature can also be used to change text to lowercase quickly. to use flash fill, follow these steps:

• select the cell containing the text you want to convert.
• go to the data tab on the ribbon.
• click on the flash fill button in the data tools group.
• in the flash fill dialog box, select the lowercase option and click ok.

note that the flash fill feature is only available in excel 2013 and later versions.

using vba macro

if you need to change text to lowercase frequently, you can create a vba macro to automate the process. to create a vba macro, follow these steps:

• press alt + f11 to open the visual basic editor.
• in the visual basic editor, click insert > module to insert a new module.
• paste the following code into the module: sub converttolower() selection.value = lcase(selection.value) end sub
• save the macro by clicking file > save.
• to run the macro, select the cell containing the text you want to convert and press alt + f8.

📝 note: make sure to enable macros in your excel settings before running the macro.

using power query

power query is a powerful tool in excel that allows you to manipulate and transform data. you can use power query to change text to lowercase by following these steps:

• select the cell containing the text you want to convert.
• go to the data tab on the ribbon.
• click on the from table/button in the get & transform data group.
• in the power query editor, click on the add column tab.
• click on the custom column button and enter the following formula: = lower([column name]) where column name is the name of the column containing the text you want to convert.
• click ok to add the new column.

the power query method is useful when working with large datasets and you need to perform multiple transformations.

method	description
lower function	uses the lower function to convert text to lowercase
flash fill feature	uses the flash fill feature to convert text to lowercase quickly
vba macro	creates a vba macro to automate the process of converting text to lowercase
power query	uses power query to convert text to lowercase and perform multiple transformations

in summary, there are several ways to change text to lowercase in excel, including using the lower function, flash fill feature, vba macro, and power query. each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of method depends on your specific needs and preferences.