UPPER()

Syntax. UPPER(text)

Definition. The UPPER() function converts text to uppercase.

Arguments

• text (required). The text you want to convert to uppercase, which can be a reference or a string.

Background. This function provides a quick and easy method for converting text to uppercase.

You can also use this function to make non–case-sensitive comparisons.

If you pass a numeric value in the text argument, the value is converted to unformatted text. If you refer to this text in numeric calculations, Excel converts the text back to a number value so that you can still use the result for other calculations.

Example. If you want to compare text strings and are not concerned about the comparison being case-sensitive, you can convert the entire text to uppercase (see Figure 8-12). The formula

=UPPER("Letters")="LETTERS"

as well as

=UPPER("letters")="LETTERS"

returns TRUE.

Figure 8-12. Text comparison independent of uppercase and lowercase, using the UPPER() function.

Here are some further examples:

• =UPPER("Excel") returns EXCEL.

• =UPPER("eXCEL") returns EXCEL.

• =UPPER("1,232.56") returns 1232.56.

• =UPPER(TODAY()) returns 40450 on September 29, 2010.

See Also

LOWER(), PROPER()

Sample Files

Use the UPPER worksheet in the Text_Data.xls or Text_Data.xlsx sample file. The sample files are found in the Chapter08 folder. For more information about the sample files, see the section titled Using the Sample Files.