Many users have reported that their iPhone Caps Lock is not working. When they tap the Shift key to enter the capital letter, nothing happens at all. Some users say they now have to force capital letters by holding down the Shift key, or a keyboard — something they never needed before.
If your iPhone is not doing capital letters, you’re not alone. Apple Support Community discussions show that this issue affects multiple iPhone models, including the iPhone 17 running the latest version of iOS 26. The good news? In most cases, the problem is software related, not a hardware failure. I explain the steps below you can take to restore the Caps Lock functionality on your iPhone.
First, let me explain how Caps Lock works on an iPhone:
- Type uppercase letters: Tap the Shift key, or touch the Shift key, then slide to a letter.
- Turn on Caps Lock: Double-tap the Shift key.
1. Make sure Caps Lock is enabled on your iPhone
The first thing you should do if Caps Lock is not working on your iPhone is to make sure that Caps Lock is enabled in Keyboard settings. Go to Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Enable Caps Lock. This controls whether you can Double‑tap the Shift key on the keyboard to lock it in uppercase mode.
This is what happens when you enable Caps Lock Switch to ON:
- Double‑tap the Shift key (the upward arrow), and it will stay highlighted.
- All letters you type will remain in uppercase until you tap the Shift key again to turn it off.
- This is useful if you need to type acronyms, headings, or long strings in ALL CAPS without holding the Shift key for each letter.
When the setting is disabled:
- Double‑tapping the Shift key won’t lock it.
- You’ll only get uppercase letters while holding the Shift key for each character.
In short, it’s a convenience toggle: Enable Caps Lock lets you type in ALL CAPS easily by double‑tapping Shift.
If double‑tapping Shift doesn’t work for caps, ensure that "Enable Caps Lock" is turned on in your iPhone’s Keyboard Settings.
2. Check for iOS Update
Apple may have already fixed the bug that is preventing the iPhone Caps Lock from working through a software update.
To check:
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Install any available update by following the onscreen instructions.
3. Restart or Force Restart Your iPhone
Several users said a simple reboot instantly restored the Caps Lock functionality on their iPhones.
Normal restart:
- Go to Settings -> General -> Shut Down, then drag the power slider to the right to power the device off. Press and hold the power button to power the device back on.
Force restart:
- For Face ID iPhones: Press Volume Up, press Volume Down, then press and hold Side button until the Apple logo appears.
- For Home button iPhones: Hold Home power button until the Apple logo shows.
This clears temporary glitches that might be preventing your iPhone Caps Lock from working properly.
