Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIf Excel shows =UPPER(A2) instead of capitalized text, check whether formulas are being displayed or the cell is formatted as Text. If the cell shows a result that stays old after its source changes, check calculation mode and recalculate. Those symptoms have different fixes.
What UPPER should do
Excel’s UPPER function converts a text value to uppercase. Its syntax is UPPER(text); for example, =UPPER(A2) returns the text in A2 with lowercase letters converted to uppercase. See Microsoft’s UPPER function documentation.
If the cell displays the formula instead of its result
When you see the characters =UPPER(A2) in the cell, determine whether formulas are displayed across the worksheet or whether the issue is limited to that cell.
Formulas appear throughout the worksheet
On the Formulas tab, select Show Formulas to switch back to displaying calculated results. In Excel for Windows, Ctrl+` (the grave-accent key) toggles this view. If formulas across the sheet are visible instead of their results, this is the likely cause.
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Only one cell, or a few cells, show formula text
The affected cell may be formatted as Text, which makes Excel treat the entry as literal text rather than a formula to calculate. Select the cell, change its number format to General, then press F2 and Enter to re-enter the formula.
For a large range of formulas stored as text, Microsoft also documents using Data > Text to Columns > Finish to make Excel reprocess the entries. The relevant steps are in Microsoft’s guide to avoiding broken formulas.
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If the result appears but is stale
If the cell shows uppercase text but does not change when you edit its source, the formula may not have recalculated. Check the workbook’s calculation setting and trigger a calculation.
Excel desktop
In Excel for Windows, open File > Options > Formulas > Calculation options > Workbook Calculation and choose Automatic. You can also find calculation options on the Formulas tab. In the desktop application, changing this setting affects all open workbooks.
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To calculate without changing the setting, use the appropriate command for the scope you need:
- F9 recalculates changed formulas and their dependents in all open workbooks.
- Shift+F9 recalculates the active worksheet.
- Ctrl+Alt+F9 forces a full calculation in all open workbooks.
- Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F9 checks dependencies and then forces a full calculation.
- On the Formulas tab, Calculate Now recalculates all open worksheets, while Calculate Sheet recalculates the active worksheet.
Microsoft documents calculation modes and these shortcuts in its guide to changing formula recalculation in Excel. It also explains why changed dependencies can remain stale in Manual or Partial calculation modes in its Stale Value Formatting documentation.
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Excel for the web
Open Formulas > Calculation Options and choose Automatic, or use Calculate Workbook when manual calculation is selected. In Excel for the web, the calculation setting applies to the current workbook; it does not change the setting for all open workbooks. See Microsoft’s instructions for calculating formulas in browser-based workbooks.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If the formula calculates but gives an unexpected result
Check that the formula points to the intended cell and that the source contains the text you expect. UPPER takes one text argument, which can be a text string or a cell reference; it only changes letter case.
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For a nested or more complex formula, use Formulas > Evaluate Formula to follow its evaluation step by step. Microsoft describes this tool in its guide to avoiding broken formulas.
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