PROPER
Supported, behaves as documentedCategory: Text · Last tested 2026-08-06
Real, executed compatibility results for the PROPER function across Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc — verified by actually running it. Syntax and links to each vendor’s official documentation are below.
Support matrix
| Engine | Documented | Live-tested | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| Google Sheets | Yes | Not yet | n/a |
| LibreOffice Calc | Yes | Yes (25.8.7.3, 2026-08-06) | Supported, behaves as documented |
LibreOffice version history
We executed the same test cases under each LibreOffice release to show exactly when PROPER’s support changed — not documentation claims, real results.
| LibreOffice version | Verdict | Tested |
|---|---|---|
| 24.2.0.3 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-07-19 |
| 24.8.7.2 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-07-19 |
| 25.2.0.3 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-07-24 |
| 25.8.7.3 | Supported, behaves as documented | 2026-08-06 |
Executed test cases
LibreOffice Calc 25.8.7.3 (tested 2026-08-06)
| Formula | Description | Result | Expected | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =PROPER("this is a title") | Basic multi-word capitalization: the first letter of each word is capitalized, the rest lowercased | This Is A Title | This Is A Title | Matched |
| =PROPER("76BudGet") | Microsoft's own documented example: PROPER treats any non-letter (including a run of digits) as a word boundary, so the letter immediately following the digits is also capitalized and treated as a new word-start | 76Budget | 76Budget Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/proper-function-52a5a283-e8b2-49be-8506-b2887b889f94 - documented example '76BudGet' -> '76Budget' |
Matched |
| =PROPER("o'brien") | PROPER treats an apostrophe as a word boundary too, capitalizing the letter that follows it -- so a name like o'brien becomes O'Brien. Widely reproduced/documented real PROPER behavior (the same non-letter-is-a-boundary rule Microsoft documents for the digit case above), though this exact example isn't on Microsoft's own reference page | O'Brien | O'Brien | Matched |
Docs & syntax
- Excel: official documentation
- Google Sheets: official documentation
- LibreOffice Calc: official documentation
Related how-to recipes
- How to change text to uppercase, lowercase, or Title Case
- How to capitalize the first letter of each word (proper case)