Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Turning Off Capital Corrections.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 20, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Excel often tries to compensate for your shortcomings as a typist. For instance, as you are typing along, if you type a word where the first two letters are uppercase, and the next letter is lowercase, Excel figures you just have slow fingers and didn't release the Shift key in time to make the second letter lowercase. So, it dutifully changes the second letter to lowercase to help you out.
There are some situations where this behavior can be bothersome, however. For instance, you may have a company or product name in which the first two letters are always capitalized, such as INtec or MYphone. In these cases, Excel also tries to do its magic and change the capitalization.
One solution to this problem is to turn off the correction that Excel does to your words. (At least for this particular capitalization issue.) The way you do that is as follows:
Figure 1. The AutoCorrect tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2753) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Turning Off Capital Corrections.
Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!
When you enter a day name into a cell, Excel automatically capitalizes it. If you want to modify this behavior, follow ...
Discover MoreWant to protect the information that you may be stored in your AutoCorrect entries? Just find a special type of file on ...
Discover MoreAutoCorrect can be a great tool to, well, "correct" information that you type. If you get a little creative, you can even ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Comments