My Keyboard Is Stuck on All Caps

Typing in all upper case letters can be problematic when you need to create professional documents.

You should be able to type both upper and lower case letters on your computer keyboard. In some cases, typing upper case letters is required to be grammatically correct, such as at the beginning of sentences or when typing names of people or places. Some people might also use upper case letters to express themselves more clearly. However, if your computer won't let you type anything but upper case letters, you need to figure out what's going on.

Caps Lock

If your keyboard is typing all upper case letters, the first thing to check is to make sure the Caps Lock button is not activated. That button indicates that all letters types on the keyboard will show up as capital or upper case letters. You might have inadvertently pressed that button and activated the Caps Lock feature. Simply press it again to disable it.

Shift

The Shift button is another thing to check. When you hold down the Shift button and press a letter (with Caps Lock turned off), the letter is typed in upper case. Check to verify that you are not holding down the Shift button as you type, or that something is not leaning or pressing the Shift button. Many keyboards have two Shift buttons, one on either side of the Space bar, so check both buttons if applicable.

Keyboard Control Panel

Verify that your computer is not set to use a different keyboard settings. In Windows 7, open your computer's control panel and click on "Keyboard." Older versions of Windows have similar options; click the "Start" button and open the Control Panel, and look for a Keyboard or Accessibility option. Once you find it, open the "Keyboard Properties" window and verify that the Custom Key Settings are set to the standard settings. If they are set to custom or gaming settings, this might affect how your keyboard types.

Microsoft Word

If you are typing into a Microsoft Word document, you might inadvertently have it set up to type in all upper case letters. Use your mouse to highlight a section, then press and hold Shift and press the F3 button. The text should change from upper to lower case. Keep pressing the button to change back and forth.

New Keyboard

Your keyboard has a problem if you still cannot change to lower case letters. Try a different keyboard to see if the problem persists. It might be time to replace your keyboard with a new one.

References

• Technology Questions: Keyboard Types in All Caps
• Microsoft: Capitalize Text