LOWER Google Sheets Function

What Is LOWER Function In Google Sheets?

The LOWER Google Sheets function returns the lowercase of a supplied string. It takes a single argument or text and converts it into lowercase. The LOWER function is an effective tool for standardizing text data, so the data across your sheet will be consistent.

The LOWER function works on upper-case characters. It does not work on special characters and numbers. In the example below, we entered some text in cell A1. Enter the function =LOWER(A1) in cell B1. Press Enter. The entire text gets converted to lowercase, as seen below. Using the LOWER function is useful in maintaining a consistent case across your data, especially when text data may have varying cases.

Syntax

The LOWER function requires only one argument: text or a reference to a cell with text.

The syntax of the LOWER Google Sheets function is as follows:

=LOWER(value)

Value: (mandatory). It is the value that we want to convert to lowercase.

• The return value is a string in lowercase.
• The argument is a text. Numbers and other special characters are  not affected.

How to Use LOWER Function in Google Sheets?

We can enter the LOWER function manually or through the Google menu on top.

Let us look at each of these methods.

Entering LOWER function Manually

Step 1: We have entered a few values in Column A in cells A1 to A5.

Step 2: Enter the following formula in cell B1: =LOWER(A1). It is used to convert the text in cell A1 to lowercase.

Step 3: Press Enter to obtain the result in cell B1.

Step 4: Drag the formula to cell B5 to obtain the results for the other values.

As we can see, it converts all the text values in capital letters to lowercase. Also, when the input is a number, as in cell A3, it is ignored. If we enter a date, as in cell A4, we note that the date does not change in any way.

Thus, the above example shows how the LOWER function works on only uppercase characters.

Access From the Google Menu

In addition to manually entering the function in a cell, you can access it from the Menu bar and directly use it.

Step 1: Choose an empty cell to get the output.

Step 2: Go to the “Insert” tab. Click on Function.

Step 3: Choose the option TEXT. Then, select the LOWER function.

Thus, one can access the LOWER function in Google Sheets in two ways; either by entering it manually or through the Google menu bar

Examples

Let us look at the following examples. Whatever the case of the letters in a text string, the LOWER Google Sheets function converts all letters to lowercase. We also look at how to use it in conjunction with other functions like LEFT and CONCATENATE. Whether we use names, titles, or any email IDs, the LOWER function helps us maintain uniformity.

Example #1

You have a list of product names in Column A, but they are in mixed case. By using the LOWER formula, you can convert all names to lowercase in Column B, ensuring consistency for better sorting and searching in your inventory management system.

Step 1: Enter all the data in a spreadsheet as shown below.

Step 2: Enter the following formula in cell B2: =LOWER(A2) and press Enter.

Here, we get the output for cell A2 in B2. As seen below, it converts the uppercase text to lowercase. Drag the formula in the sheet from B2 to B7 to get the output for the other values.

Example #2 – Using LOWER with LEFT

In this LOWER example, let us look at how to generate emails for employees of an organization. The format of the email should be as follows:

For instance, if Harry Potter is the employee’s name working for Smith Industries, the email ID should be harryp@smithindustries.com. Let us look at how to achieve this using the LOWER and LEFT functions.

Below is a table listing the details of different employees. Column A contains their first names, and Column B contains their surnames.

Step 1: To create the email ID of each employee in Column C, enter the following formula in cell C2.

=LOWER(A2&LEFT(B2,1)&”@”&”abctech&”.com”).

Explanation

• One uses the & operator to connect two strings.
• The formula adds the first name in cell A2 to the first part of the email.
• This is combined with the first letter of the surname extracted using the Left function in Google Sheets.
• Then, it adds the company name, and the entire email is converted to lowercase.
• Any numbers or special characters in the company name are unaffected by the LOWER function.

Step 2: Press Enter. The email ID is generated for the first employee.

Step 3: Drag the formula from cell C2 to C5. You get the email IDs for all the employees.

Example #3 – Using LOWER with CONCATENATE

Some students are attending a seminar in this LOWER Google Sheets function example. We use the LOWER Google Sheets function to generate codes for the students based on their names and roll numbers. We have a table containing the roll numbers and student names.

 To get the student code, we must extract the first three characters from the student’s name and combine them with the roll number. The code must be in lowercase for uniformity. Let us look at how to do this using the LOWER function along with the function, CONCATENATE.

Step 1: Enter the details as shown below. Column B contains students’ names and Column A contains their roll numbers.

Step 2: Enter the following function in cell C2.

=LOWER(CONCATENATE(A2,LEFT(B2,3)))

1. The innermost LEFT function extracts the first three characters from the student’s name in cell B2.
2. We add it to the roll number in cell A2 using the CONCATENATE function.
3. In the final step, LOWER converts the entire text to lowercase, and the code is obtained. 

Step 2: Press Enter. You get the student code in cell C2. Here, it combines the first three characters of the student’s name with the roll number and converts everything to lowercase.

Step 3: Drag the formula handle from cell C2 to C6. It easily generates all the student codes required for the seminar. Easy, isn’t it?

Thus, the LOWER function can be used to get the lowercase of any text.

Important Things to Note

1. You can convert an entire column or row to lowercase by applying LOWER to the range. We write it as =LOWER(A1:A4). It converts all the text in cells A1 through A4 to lowercase.
2. In the case of dates, unlike Excel, where LOWER converts it to a serial number, Google Sheets does not affect the date in any way and ignores it.
3. If LOWER is used on an empty cell, there is no output.
4. Sometimes, you might need the first letter capitalized to print strings like a name. The PROPER function capitalizes the first letter; the rest are in lowercase.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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