How to use PROPER in Excel
Capitalizes the first letter of each word.
Syntax
textText or a cellExample
Here’s PROPER on a small table of orders. The highlighted cells are the ones the formula reads.
=PROPER("maria garcia")Edit this formula live Change the ranges and watch the answer update. Free, no sign-up.
Common mistakes with PROPER
It capitalises every word
PROPER("mcdonald") gives Mcdonald, and words after apostrophes get capitals too. Check names by eye.
Combine with TRIM
=PROPER(TRIM(A2)) also fixes extra spaces.
What the error messages mean
Type these slips into Gridwise and this is the feedback you get:
Leaving off the closing bracket
=PROPER("maria garcia"
Parentheses don’t match. You have 1 opening and 0 closing parentheses. Every ( needs a ).
Text without quotes
=PROPER(maria garcia)
Excel can’t read this formula. Unexpected “garcia” inside PROPER(…). Is a comma missing?
Questions
What does the PROPER function do in Excel?
Capitalizes the first letter of each word. The syntax is PROPER(text).
Why is my PROPER formula giving the wrong answer?
It capitalises every word: PROPER("mcdonald") gives Mcdonald, and words after apostrophes get capitals too. Check names by eye. Combine with TRIM: =PROPER(TRIM(A2)) also fixes extra spaces.
Does PROPER work in Google Sheets?
Most Excel functions, including the core ones on this page, work the same way in Google Sheets. A few newer functions arrived in Sheets later or behave slightly differently, so test it on your own data.