The LOWER function will convert any string into all lowercase characters. LOWER is one of a few different text functions that work to standardize text strings, the others being UPPER and PROPER.
Syntax
= LOWER([text])text = any text string, can be hardcoded inside of quotes or a cell reference
Explanation
This function is part of the "Text" function group. Its sole purpose is to take all uppercase characters in a string and convert them to lowercase characters. The opposite of the UPPER function .
The LOWER function will only affect uppercase characters (a -> z). Symbols and lowercase characters are not effected by the function.
In general, character case only matters visually. In very specific circumstances, casing can effect calculations, (using the EXACT formula, the string "DESK" is different from "desk"), but for the most part it will just give your workbook a cleaner, more uniform look.
Examples
1. Convert Text Cells into All Lowercase Characters
This is the base use for the LOWER function. Using the LOWER function, we can convert any cell that contains text into lowercase characters. This can be most useful when trying to clean and standardize data like names or addresses.
= LOWER([text])2. Combine Cells using TEXTJOIN and LOWER to Create Email Addresses
Here is a practical use case for LOWER. Here we are given a, first name, last name, and an email domain, and need to combine them into one "email address" string for our email list. Using TEXTJOIN, we are joining the cells in column B, C, and D, with a "@" symbol inserted between columns C and D. Instead of just combining the cells as is, by using the LOWER function, the capitalized letters in the names and domain are converted to lowercase, giving the email address the proper capitalization.
= TEXTJOIN(,,LOWER(B3:C3),"@",LOWER(D3))