How to Stop Microsoft Word from Automatically Capitalising the First Letter of Sentences

Microsoft Word is packed with AutoCorrect features designed to make typing faster and reduce common grammatical errors. One of the most prominent features is the automatic capitalisation of the first letter of every sentence. Whenever you type a full stop, a space, and a new word, Word assumes you are starting a new sentence and automatically changes your lowercase letter to uppercase.

While this is incredibly helpful for writing standard essays and reports, it can be extremely frustrating if you are typing computer code, command-line arguments, legal documents with specific lower-case formatting, or poetry where grammatical rules are intentionally broken.

If you find yourself constantly pressing “Undo” (Ctrl+Z) just to revert a capital letter back to lowercase, you can completely disable this feature. This guide explains how to stop Microsoft Word from automatically capitalising the first letter of sentences.

How to Disable Automatic Capitalisation on Windows

The AutoCorrect options in the Windows version of Microsoft Word are buried slightly deep within the global application settings.

1. Open Microsoft Word and click on the File tab in the top-left corner of the ribbon.
2. Scroll down to the very bottom of the left-hand sidebar and click on Options. (If you do not see Options, click on “More…” first).
3. In the Word Options window that appears, click on Proofing in the left-hand menu.
4. Click the large button labeled AutoCorrect Options… on the right side of the window.
5. A new window will pop up. Ensure you are on the AutoCorrect tab.
6. Look for the checkbox labeled Capitalize first letter of sentences.
7. Uncheck this box.
8. Click OK to close the AutoCorrect window, and then click OK again to close the Word Options window.

From now on, Word will respect your exact keystrokes. If you type a lowercase letter after a full stop, it will remain lowercase.

How to Disable Automatic Capitalisation on macOS

The process for disabling this feature on a Mac is slightly different due to the layout of the macOS menu bar.

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. In the Apple menu bar at the very top of your screen, click on Word, then select Settings… (or Preferences… on older versions of macOS).
3. In the Word Settings window, locate the “Authoring and Proofing Tools” section and click on AutoCorrect.
4. Ensure you are on the AutoCorrect tab.
5. Locate the option labeled Capitalize first letter of sentences.
6. Uncheck the box next to it.
7. Close the AutoCorrect window. The changes are saved automatically.

How to Create Exceptions Instead of Disabling the Feature

If you generally like the automatic capitalisation feature but find it frustrating when you type specific abbreviations (like “e.g.” or “apt-get”), you do not have to turn the feature off completely. You can tell Word to ignore specific abbreviations.

Return to the AutoCorrect Options window using the steps above. Next to the “Capitalize first letter of sentences” checkbox, click the Exceptions… button. Under the “First Letter” tab, you can add specific abbreviations that should never trigger a capital letter on the following word.

By tailoring the AutoCorrect settings to your specific writing style, you can stop fighting with Microsoft Word and focus entirely on your content.