How to stop the iPhone capitalising the first letter
2 min read · 3 steps · Updated 4 October 2026
Open Settings, tap General, then Keyboard, and switch off Auto-Capitalization under All Keyboards. The keyboard then no longer switches to a capital letter by itself, and you tap Shift when you want one.
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 26.5 (iPhone 17)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › General › Keyboard
- Real screenshots
- 3 of 3 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
With Auto-Capitalization on, the iPhone keyboard chooses capital letters by itself. For passwords, usernames, code or a deliberate all-lowercase style that gets in the way. The switch for it is the first one under All Keyboards.
The screenshots show iOS 26.5 on an iPhone 17. On older versions the rows have the same names, with a slightly different look.
Step by step
Open Settings and tap General
General is the first row of the first group in the main Settings list.
Tap Keyboard
It is in the second group of the General page, below Fonts.
Switch off Auto-Capitalization
It is the first switch under the heading All Keyboards. In the picture it is on.
Good to know
For a single capital letter, tap Shift once. For several, double-tap Shift to turn on Caps Lock: how to turn on Caps Lock on an iPhone.
In short: Settings, General, Keyboard, Auto-Capitalization off.
Links checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.