Purpose

Return value

Syntax

=UPPER(text)
  • text - The text to convert to uppercase.

Using the UPPER function

The UPPER function converts a text string to all uppercase letters. UPPER function takes just one argument, text , which can be a text value or cell reference. UPPER changes any lowercase characters in the text value to uppercase. Numbers, punctuation, and spaces are not affected. UPPER will convert numbers to text with number formatting removed.

Examples

=UPPER("Apple") // returns "APPLE"
=UPPER("pear") // returns "PEAR"

Numbers or punctuation characters inside a text string are unaffected:

=UPPER("xyy-020-kwp") // returns "XYY-020-KWP"

If a numeric value is given to UPPER, number formatting is removed. For example, if cell A1 contains the date June 26, 2021, date formatting will be lost and UPPER will return a date serial number as text:

=UPPER(A1) // returns "44373"

If necessary, you can use the TEXT function to workaround this limitation. Use TEXT to convert the number to a text value, then pass that value into UPPER:

=UPPER(TEXT(A1,"mmmm d, yyyy")) // returns "JUNE 26, 2021"

Use the LOWER function to convert text to lowercase, use the UPPER function to convert text to uppercase, and use the PROPER function to capitalize the words in a text string.

Notes

  • All letters in text are converted to uppercase.
  • Numbers and punctuation characters are not affected.
  • Number formatting is removed from standalone numeric values.

Purpose

Return value

Syntax

=VALUE(text)
  • text - The text value to convert to a number.

Using the VALUE function

The VALUE function is meant to convert a text value that represents a number into a numeric value. The text can be a date, a time, or any other number, so long as the format can be recognized by Excel. When the conversion is successful, the result is a numeric value with no number formatting. When the VALUE function is unable to convert a text value to a numeric result, the result is a #VALUE! error.

=VALUE("July 15, 2021") // returns 44392
=VALUE("$125.50") // returns 125.5
=VALUE("32.5%") // returns 0.325

In general, there is no need to use the VALUE function because Excel automatically converts text to numbers as needed. However, VALUE is provided for compatibility with other spreadsheet applications.

  • Use the VALUE function to convert text input to a numeric value.
  • The VALUE function converts text that appears in a recognized format (i.e. a number, date, or time format) into a numeric value.
  • Normally, Excel automatically converts text to numeric values as needed, so the VALUE function is not needed.
  • The VALUE function is provided for compatibility with other spreadsheet programs.
  • The VALUE function returns #VALUE! when a conversion is unsuccessful.