What Is PROPER Google Sheets Function?
The PROPER Google Sheets function is used when we have a dataset with strings, texts or sentences that are not in a proper format. It converts the text into a proper case in which every word’s first letter will be in upper case, and the rest of the letters will be in lower case.
The PROPER Function In Google Sheets considers any value as an input but only converts the text data accordingly.
For example, the image below shows the name in cell A1. We will convert the text to a proper case using the PROPER function.
Select cell B1, enter the formula =PROPER(A1) and press Enter key.
The function has returned the result as ‘Kerrie Lacy’ by capitalizing the first letters of the name.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- The PROPER Google Sheets function is used to capitalize each word in a given string. The first character in each word will be converted into uppercase and all remaining characters into lowercase irrespective of the case they are in at the first place.
- Numbers and punctuation characters remain the same in the PROPER function. However, if it is an alpha-numeric value, then the first letter of the starting of the text will be converted to uppercase. For example, 123abc becomes 123Abc or abc123 becomes Abc123.
- Irrespective of the case combination input values provided, only the first letter will be converted to uppercase and the rest all to lowercase. For example, if “loNdon”, “LONDON” or “LoNdon” are the inputs, the converted case becomes London.
PROPER() Google Sheets Formula
The syntax of the PROPER Google Sheets Formula is,
The mandatory argument of the PROPER Google Sheets Formula is,
- text_to_capitalize à It indicates the selected text or string where the first character must be converted into uppercase and all remaining characters into lowercase.
How To Use PROPER Google Sheets Function?
We can use the PROPER In Google Sheets in 2 ways, namely,
- Access from the Google Sheets ribbon.
- Enter in the worksheet manually.
Method #1 – Access From the Google Sheets Ribbon 🡢
Choose an empty cell for the output 🡢 select the “Insert” tab 🡢 click the “Function” option right arrow 🡢 click the “Text” option right arrow 🡢 select the “PROPER” function, as shown below.
The “PROPER” formulaappears, as shown below. Enter the argument as the cell reference.
Method #2 – Enter in the Worksheet Manually 🡢
- Select an empty cell to display the output.
- Type =PROPER( in the selected cell. Alternatively, type =P or =Pro and double-click the PROPER function from the list of suggestions shown by Google Sheets.
- Enter the arguments as Google Sheets cell references or direct values.
- Close the parenthesis and press the Enter key.
Examples
Let us consider some examples to understand PROPER Google Sheets function.
Example #1
The below table shows the string in column A. First, we will reset the text in the string using the PROPER function.
The procedure to reset the strings using the Google Sheets PROPER function is,
Select cell B2 and enter the formula =PROPER(A2), as shown below.
Press the Enter key to get the output shown below. We can see that the function has returned the text in the right format.
Example #2
The following table lists the name of stores in column A in incorrect format. Let us reset the data using the PROPER function in Google Sheets.
The steps to reset the strings with the PROPER Google Sheets function are as follows:
Step 1: Select cell B2 and enter the formula =PROPER(A2).
Step 2: Press the Enter key. The displayed result is shown below.
Step 3: Drag the formula from cell B2 to B5 using the fill handle to obtain the following output.
Example #3
The below table shows the format of text in column A and the text string in respective formats in column B, respectively. Now, let us reset the text in the string using the PROPER function.
The procedure to reset the strings using the PROPER Google Sheets function is,
Select cell B4 and enter the formula =PROPER(B2).
Press the Enter key. We see that the function has returned the result, as shown in the following image.
Example #4
The following table shows the first and last names of people in columns A and B, respectively. Using the PROPER function in Google Sheets let us reset the name and combine it to form the full name.
The steps to reset the full name using the PROPER() in Google Sheets are as follows:
Step 1: Select cell C2 and enter the formula =PROPER(A2&” “&B2).
Step 2: Press the Enter key. The function has returned the result, as shown in the following image.
Step 3: Drag the formula from cell C2 to C5 using the fill handle to get the following output where the names are combined first and then the full names are displayed in the right case.
Example #5
The following table shows various text strings in column A. But, first, let us reset the strings using the PROPER function in Google Sheets.
The steps to reset the string using the PROPER() in Google Sheets are as follows:
Step 1: Select cell B2 and enter the formula =PROPER(A2).
Step 2: Pressthe Enter key. The function has returned the result without any change since the input value is not a string or a text but a numeric value, as shown in the following image.
Step 3: Drag the formula from cell B2 to B5 using the fill handle to get the output shown below.
Important Things To Note
- The PROPER Google Sheets function does not affect the numbers, symbols or the punctuation characters, or any input value other than text.
- We get the NA when no argument is provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
The PROPER function in Google Sheets sets the first letter in a text string as the upper case and any other letters in the text string as the lower case that follow any character other than a letter. When we import data from external sources in the financial analysis, the PROPER function converts text into the proper case. We use the function to capitalize each word in a given string. The function does not affect numbers and punctuation. The function converts all other letters to lowercase and the first letter in uppercase.
For example, the below image shows text strings in column A with a combination of cases in each input value.
The steps to reset the string using the PROPER() in Google Sheets are as follows:
Step 1: Select cell B2 and enter the formula =PROPER(A2).
Step 2: Press the Enter key. The function returned the result, as shown in the following image.
Step 3: Drag the formula from cell B2 to B5 using the fill handle to get the following results.
We often forget in which category a function falls, here, the “PROPER” function. Then, we can insert the function as follows:
Choose an empty cell 🡢 select the “Insert” tab 🡢 click the “Function” option right arrow 🡢 click the “All” option right arrow 🡢 select the “PROPER” function, as shown below.
However, as always, entering the function manually is the best way to avoid confusion.
Alternatively, we can find the Functions icon to insert the PROPER function by following the path shown below.
• Choose an empty cell 🡢 click the “More” option represented by the three vertical dots at the end of the toolbar, as shown below.
• A list of icons appears when we click the “More” option. Here, click the “Functions” icon, as shown below.
• Here, click the “Functions” option 🡢 click the “All” option right arrow 🡢 select the “PROPER” function, as shown below.
Download Template
This article must help understand PROPER Google Sheets function with its formulas and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
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