Caps Lock suddenly turned on while I was typing on my Chromebook, and now every letter is in uppercase no matter what I do. I’ve tried the usual keyboard keys I’d use on Windows, but nothing seems to work. Can someone explain the correct way to disable Caps Lock on a Chromebook and if there’s a setting I should change to avoid this happening again?
On Chromebooks Caps Lock is a bit weird compared to Windows, so you hit the same confusion a lot of us did.
Quick fix:
- Press Alt + Search (Search is the key with the magnifying glass where Caps Lock is on normal keyboards).
- That toggles Caps Lock on and off.
- You should see a popup on the screen saying Caps Lock is off.
If you want a “real” Caps Lock key:
- Click the time in the bottom right.
- Click the gear icon to open Settings.
- Go to Device.
- Click Keyboard.
- Next to “Search” pick “Caps Lock” from the dropdown.
Now the Search key acts as a Caps Lock key, and you tap it to toggle uppercase like on Windows.
If nothing works, try:
- Log out then log back in.
- Or press Ctrl + Shift + U and type some letters to see if they still come out all caps. If everything is caps in every account or after restart, check if a key is stuck or the keyboard is damaged.
99 percent of the time though, Alt + Search fixes what you hit by accident.
This tripped me up too when I first used a Chromebook.
@vrijheidsvogel already covered the main shortcut stuff, so I’ll throw in a few other things to check that sometimes get missed:
-
Check the status indicator
- Tap the Search key once.
- Look in the bottom-right corner (where the time is).
- If Caps Lock is on, ChromeOS usually shows an indicator there or a little toast popup.
- If it never shows anything, Caps might not actually be on and something else is forcing uppercase.
-
Try a guest session
- Click your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Choose Guest (or log out and use Browse as Guest).
- Type in the browser’s address bar.
- If it types normally in Guest but ALL CAPS in your main account, it’s probably a profile / extension issue, not the key itself.
-
Check extensions or web apps
Some web apps fake “all caps” with CSS or JavaScript:- Try typing in the ChromeOS Settings search bar or in Files app file name box.
- If those look normal but your website or editor is yelling in caps, it’s not real Caps Lock.
- In that case, look for:
- Editor settings like “All caps” or “Uppercase style”
- Browser extensions that mess with text (accessibility, theming, etc.)
-
Confirm Shift is not stuck
I know you said you tried the usual keys, but on Chromebooks I’ve seen:- A physically stuck Shift key can make everything look like caps.
- Try slowly pressing and releasing both Shift keys a few times.
- If possible, plug in a USB keyboard and test typing.
- If USB keyboard works fine and built-in is all caps, that’s a hardware issue.
-
On-screen keyboard test
- Go to Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard and text input.
- Turn on On-screen keyboard.
- Click in a text field and type using the on-screen keys.
- If on-screen keyboard types normally but your physical keyboard shouts EVERYTHING, again that points to a physical keyboard problem.
-
Check input methods
Rare, but if you’re using another keyboard layout / input method:- Settings → Device → Keyboard or Input methods / Languages.
- Temporarily switch back to plain US keyboard and test.
If after all that every account, every app, and even guest session are stuck in caps with the physical keyboard, I’d honestly suspect hardware, not some secret ChromeOS caps feature. At that point, external keyboard as a workaround or have the Chromebook keyboard checked.
Also, tiny disagreement with @vrijheidsvogel: remapping the Search key to Caps Lock is handy, but if you like using Search to open apps, I’d leave it alone and just memorize Alt + Search as your “real” caps toggle. Otherwise you lose that quick app search which is actually one of the few nice things ChromeOS did right.
Save your work, then restart the Chromebook.
Click the time, select the Power icon, wait 10 seconds, then turn it back on. A restart often clears a stuck keyboard state caused by a ChromeOS glitch.
Test typing in the address bar after login. If lowercase works, your keyboard is fine. If the issue returns, install any pending ChromeOS update from Settings, About ChromeOS, Check for updates. This takes a few mins and often fixes keybaord bugs.
Nobody asked whether you’re typing on the built-in Chromebook keyboard or an external one plugged in, and that actually changes the answer. If you’ve got a regular USB or Bluetooth keyboard connected, the physical Caps Lock key on it works exactly like it does on Windows. Just tap it. The whole Alt + Search dance only applies to the built-in Chromebook keys that don’t have a dedicated Caps Lock in the first place.
@vrijheidsvogel nailed the main shortcut, so I won’t repeat it. Where I’d gently disagree is jumping straight to remapping the Search key. That’s a bigger commitment than most people realize, and if you share the Chromebook with anyone or ever use it in a school or work setup, remapped keys tend to confuse the next person who touches it. Alt + Search is muscle memory after about three tries. Learn that instead of rewiring the keyboard.
The one scenario nobody flagged clearly: if you’re on a managed Chromebook, some of the Settings paths people listed may be locked or missing entirely. In that case you can’t remap anything and you’re stuck with the shortcut, so don’t burn time hunting for a dropdown that isn’t there. And if Alt + Search genuinely does nothing and even a plugged-in keyboard types caps, that’s not a settings problem, that’s the hardware or a stuck key, exactly like the earlier replies said. Just don’t skip the ‘which keyboard am I even using’ question first, because that trips people up more than they admit.