The Unwanted Correction
Google Docs features an aggressive autocorrect engine designed to catch common typing errors. One of its core functions is automatic capitalization. If you type a word following a period, an exclamation mark, or a question mark, Google Docs assumes you are starting a new sentence and automatically capitalizes the first letter of that word. While helpful for standard prose, this behavior is infuriating if you are writing code snippets, documenting specific command-line arguments (which are often strictly lowercase), or drafting stylized poetry where standard capitalization rules do not apply.
Disabling the Capitalization Rule
To retain exact control over your text casing and stop Google Docs from automatically capitalizing the first letter of every sentence, you must disable this specific rule in the application’s preference menu.
Open your Google Docs document. In the top menu bar, click on Tools. From the dropdown menu, select Preferences. A dialogue box will appear in the center of your screen. Ensure you are on the General tab at the top of this box. Look down the list of options for the checkbox labeled Automatically capitalize words (in some versions, it may be phrased as “Automatically capitalize the first word of a sentence”). Click this checkbox so that it is unchecked (empty). Click the OK button at the bottom of the dialogue box to save your changes. From this point forward, Google Docs will respect your exact keystrokes; if you type a lowercase letter after a period, it will remain lowercase.