Word in All Caps When Caps Lock Is Off

If you’re writing in Word in all caps when Caps Lock is off, you might be having a few different issues. Let’s go through the most common troubleshooting steps to solve this.

Fix 1 – Check if the Keyboard Buttons Are Broken

In some cases, you can get All Caps in Word without Caps Lock button if the Shift button is registered to be pressed continuously. Alternatively, your keyboard might be faultily presenting the Caps Lock button as OFF (perhaps due to a bad light).

To verify this, you should use another text editor like Notepad. Just open it and type something, and if you get everything in all caps, the issue is with the system or the keyboard. For best results, you can try using the digital keyboard.

Step 1. Press “Ctrl + Windows + O” to bring up the on-screen keyboard.

Step 2. Press on the buttons like you would with a keyboard and see what happens.

Step 3. Click on the Caps Lock key on the on-screen keyboard to see if it immediately gets unchecked.

The keyboard should be registering which buttons are pressed, so if you get a key signal when away from the actual keyboard, the physical keyboard is faulty. You can try to unstick the Shift or Caps Lock key manually by removing and cleaning it. Alternatively, you can try to disconnect the keyboard and use a different one in a new slot.

Fix 2 – Check Microsoft Word Settings

If you’re getting Word in all caps but Caps Lock is off, you might also need to check current formatting settings.

Step 1. With the Word open, right-click on the area where you’re getting all caps and select “Font.”

Step 2. Make sure that the “All Caps” box is unchecked, then click “OK.”

Alternatively, check the actual font you’re using at the top (in the “Home” tab). Some fonts are only available in all caps, regardless of how you actually type the words into them.

Fix 3 – Troubleshoot the Keyboard for Issues

While a bit rare, Windows does actually update keyboard drivers when needed and can perform setting resets through the troubleshooter.

Step 1. Go to Settings.

Step 2. In the “System” tab, select “Troubleshoot.”

Step 3. Go to “Other troubleshooters,” then select “Keyboard.” Note that this option only exists on PCs with an external keyboard.

Step 4. Follow the instructions in the troubleshooter. Typically, it will recheck the drivers or restore the keyboard to standard settings.

Alternatively, you can use the Device Manager to try to update the keyboard’s driver manually.

Step 1. Right-click on the Start menu and select “Device Manager.”

Step 2. Expand the section for Keyboards and select the keyboard you’re having problems with.

Step 3. Click on “Update driver” and follow the setup instructions.