How To Capitalise Each Word In Word

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Do you know that feeling when you've typed out a document, and then you realize you need to capitalize the first letter of every single word? Maybe it's for a title, a heading, or just for a specific stylistic choice. Manually going back and hitting 'Shift' for each word can be a real pain, right? Well, good news! Microsoft Word offers several incredibly simple ways to achieve this, saving you time and effort. Let's dive in and learn how to master capitalization in Word, step-by-step!

Mastering Capitalization: How to Capitalize Each Word in Word

This comprehensive guide will walk you through various methods to capitalize the first letter of every word in your Microsoft Word document, ensuring your text looks exactly how you intend.

Step 1: Identify Your Target Text

Before we do anything else, pinpoint the text you want to modify. Is it an entire document, a specific paragraph, a sentence, or just a few words?

For a specific section: Select the text you want to change. You can do this by clicking and dragging your mouse over it, or by holding down 'Shift' and using the arrow keys.
For an entire document: The quickest way to select everything is to press Ctrl + A (or Cmd + A on Mac).

Once your text is selected, you're ready for the magic!

Step 2: Utilizing the "Change Case" Feature – The Easiest Way

Word's built-in "Change Case" feature is your best friend for quick capitalization adjustments.

Sub-step 2.1: Locating the "Change Case" Button

After selecting your text (as described in Step 1), navigate to the Home tab in the Word ribbon.
Look for the Font group.
Within the Font group, you'll find a button with an "Aa" icon and a down arrow next to it. This is the Change Case button. Click on the down arrow to reveal a dropdown menu.

Sub-step 2.2: Choosing "Capitalize Each Word"

From the dropdown menu, you'll see several options:

Sentence case.
lowercase
UPPERCASE
Capitalize Each Word
tOGGLE cASE

For our purpose, you'll want to select Capitalize Each Word. As soon as you click it, voilà! Your selected text will instantly transform, with the first letter of every word capitalized.

Step 3: Keyboard Shortcuts for the Speed Enthusiasts

If you're a fan of keyboard shortcuts (and who isn't when it saves time?), Word offers a fantastic one for toggling case.

Sub-step 3.1: The `Shift + F3` Trick

Select the text you want to modify.
Press Shift + F3.

Here's what happens: Each time you press Shift + F3, Word cycles through three different case options for your selected text:

Lowercase (e.g., "how to capitalize each word")
UPPERCASE (e.g., "HOW TO CAPITALIZE EACH WORD")
Sentence case (e.g., "How to capitalize each word.")

Important Note: While Shift + F3 is incredibly useful, it doesn't directly offer a "Capitalize Each Word" option in the same way the "Change Case" button does. It's more for quickly toggling between common cases. However, if your starting text is in lowercase, pressing Shift + F3 twice will often get you to the "Sentence case" or "Capitalize Each Word" equivalent, depending on the context. If you need precise "Capitalize Each Word" only, the "Change Case" button is more direct.

Step 4: Utilizing "Styles" for Consistent Capitalization (Advanced)

For long documents or when you need consistent formatting across many headings, using Word's "Styles" feature can be a powerful tool. This method is a bit more involved but offers incredible consistency and efficiency for future documents.

Sub-step 4.1: Modifying an Existing Style

Go to the Home tab.
In the Styles group, click the small arrow in the bottom right corner to open the Styles pane (or press Alt + Ctrl + Shift + S).
Hover over the style you want to modify (e.g., "Heading 1," "Title").
Click the down arrow that appears next to the style name, and select Modify....

Sub-step 4.2: Accessing the Font Formatting Options

In the "Modify Style" dialog box, click the Format button in the bottom-left corner.
Select Font... from the dropdown menu.

Sub-step 4.3: Applying "All Caps" or "Small Caps" (and Capitalization Consideration)

Word's Style feature doesn't have a direct "Capitalize Each Word" option within the font settings. However, you can use "All Caps" or "Small Caps" for headings, which implicitly capitalizes the first letter (and the rest of the letters too, in a specific way).

All Caps: Makes all letters uppercase (e.g., "HOW TO CAPITALIZE EACH WORD").
Small Caps: Makes all letters uppercase, but displays originally lowercase letters as smaller uppercase letters (e.g., "How To Capitalize Each Word").

While this doesn't strictly "Capitalize Each Word" in the exact sense of the "Change Case" button, it's a common stylistic choice for headings and titles where you want a capitalized look. For true "Capitalize Each Word" within a style, you would typically apply the "Change Case" manually after applying the style, or use a macro (see Step 5).

Step 5: Leveraging Macros for Automation (For the Tech-Savvy)

If you frequently need to apply "Capitalize Each Word" to specific types of text and want to automate the process, a simple VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) macro can be a lifesaver. This is for advanced users comfortable with a bit of coding.

Sub-step 5.1: Opening the VBA Editor

Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
In the VBA editor, in the Project Explorer pane (usually on the left), double-click on Normal (Normal.dotm) to expand it.
Right-click on Modules and choose Insert > Module.

Sub-step 5.2: Inserting the Macro Code

In the new module window, paste the following code:
VBA
Sub CapitalizeEachWordSelection() Selection.Range.Case = wdTitleWord End Sub Sub CapitalizeEachWordDocument() ActiveDocument.Content.Case = wdTitleWord End Sub
- CapitalizeEachWordSelection(): This macro will capitalize each word in your currently selected text.
- CapitalizeEachWordDocument(): This macro will capitalize each word in the entire document.
Close the VBA editor.

Sub-step 5.3: Running the Macro

Select the text you want to capitalize (or ensure no text is selected if you're running the document-wide macro).
Go to the View tab in Word.
Click on Macros (or press Alt + F8).
In the "Macros" dialog box, select either CapitalizeEachWordSelection or CapitalizeEachWordDocument.
Click Run.

This is a powerful way to automate the process, especially if you have very specific and repetitive capitalization needs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to capitalize the first letter of a sentence in Word?

Use the "Change Case" button on the Home tab and select "Sentence case."

How to change text to all caps in Word?

Select the text, then use the "Change Case" button and choose "UPPERCASE."

How to convert capitalized words to lowercase in Word?

Select the text, then use the "Change Case" button and choose "lowercase."

How to quickly toggle between cases using a keyboard shortcut in Word?

Select the text and press Shift + F3 repeatedly to cycle through lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Sentence case.

How to capitalize words in a specific style in Word?

Modify the style (Home tab > Styles group > Modify Style) and go to "Format" > "Font." While "Capitalize Each Word" isn't a direct option here, you can choose "All Caps" or "Small Caps" for headings.

How to make a macro to capitalize each word in selected text in Word?

Open the VBA editor (Alt + F11), insert a new module, and paste Sub CapitalizeEachWordSelection() Selection.Range.Case = wdTitleWord End Sub. Then run this macro.

How to capitalize each word in a table in Word?

Select the text within the table cells you want to modify, then use the "Change Case" button on the Home tab and select "Capitalize Each Word."

How to prevent Word from automatically capitalizing words?

Go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options. In the "AutoCorrect" tab, uncheck options like "Capitalize first letter of sentences" or "Capitalize first letter of table cells" as needed.

How to capitalize the first letter of each line in Word?

Word doesn't have a direct "capitalize each line" feature. You'd typically need to treat each line as a separate "sentence" and apply "Sentence case" or manually select and apply "Capitalize Each Word" to each line, or use a custom macro.

How to revert case changes in Word?

If you've just made the change, you can use the "Undo" command (Ctrl + Z or the undo arrow in the Quick Access Toolbar) to revert. Otherwise, you'll need to re-apply the desired case using the methods described above.

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