text cleaner

How to use the text cleaner

  1. Paste pasted-from-Word, scraped-from-PDF, or messy email text into the input box.
  2. Pick the cleanups you want: trim whitespace, collapse blank lines, strip HTML, remove non-printable characters, fix smart-quote characters, normalize Unicode.
  3. The cleaned output appears live on the right.
  4. Copy the cleaned version, or use 'Show diff' to see exactly what was removed before committing.

When to use it

Reach for it when content from Word, Google Docs, or scraped sources contains hidden cruft: smart quotes (`“”`), em-dashes converted to hyphens, zero-width spaces, multiple blank lines, leading/trailing whitespace. These break code, SEO, and search-and-replace later. Alternative: VS Code's built-in 'trim trailing whitespace' covers a subset; this tool batches all the common cleanups and is faster for one-off paste workflows.

Frequently asked questions

Why does pasted text from Word break my markdown?
Word converts straight quotes (`"`) to curly quotes (`“”`), hyphens to em-dashes, and inserts non-breaking spaces (`U+00A0`). Markdown parsers and code highlighters don't always handle these. The cleaner converts them all back to ASCII equivalents.
What are zero-width characters?
Invisible Unicode characters (U+200B zero-width space, U+200C zero-width non-joiner, U+FEFF byte-order mark) that paste from web pages and PDFs without showing in your editor. They break search-and-replace and CSV parsers. The cleaner strips them.
Does the cleaner remove HTML tags?
Yes — toggle 'Strip HTML' and the output keeps only the visible text content of any pasted HTML. Useful for converting CMS output to plain text.
How does Unicode normalization help?
Some characters have multiple Unicode representations — `é` can be one code point or two (e + combining accent). Normalization (NFC) converts them all to a single canonical form, making search and comparison reliable.
Can I customize which cleanups run?
Yes — every cleanup is a separate toggle in the sidebar. Disable any you want to keep (e.g., preserve blank lines for poetry, or keep smart quotes for fiction publishing).
Is the cleaning destructive?
It only modifies the output; the input stays exactly as you pasted it. The 'Show diff' panel highlights what was removed so you can spot any false positives before copying.

Related tools

  • Free Text Case Converter
  • Free Title Case Converter
  • Free Word Counter
  • Free Text Reverser

Last updated: 2026-04-27