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Tools / Text cleaner & Unicode sanitizer

Text cleaner & Unicode sanitizer

Clean up dirty or mangled text copied from documents, PDFs, and web pages. Strips hidden zero-width spaces, converts curly smart quotes into standard ASCII quotes, removes HTML tags or Markdown, and normalizes messy spacing entirely in your browser.

Runs entirely in your browser

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About this tool

Text copied from documents, PDFs and web pages often arrives dirty — carrying hidden zero-width spaces, curly “smart” quotes, stray HTML or Markdown, and inconsistent spacing. This cleaner sanitises it: it strips invisible and control characters, converts smart quotes to plain ASCII quotes, removes HTML tags and Markdown, and normalises messy whitespace.

Those hidden characters cause real problems — a zero-width space can break a code identifier, a search that “should” match, or a form validation, all while being invisible. Cleaning the text removes gremlins you cannot see and gives you plain, predictable content.

It runs in your browser, so the text is not uploaded. Use it before pasting into code, a CMS or a spreadsheet, or any time text picked up formatting and invisible characters you need to strip out.

Frequently asked questions

What does the text cleaner remove?
Hidden zero-width and control characters, curly smart quotes (converted to plain ASCII), HTML tags and Markdown, and inconsistent spacing.
Why are zero-width spaces a problem?
They are invisible but real characters that can break code identifiers, searches and form validation, so removing them prevents baffling errors.
Does it convert smart quotes to straight quotes?
Yes. It replaces curly quotation marks and apostrophes with standard ASCII quotes, which is important for code and plain-text use.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Cleaning happens in your browser, so nothing you paste is sent anywhere.
When should I use it?
Before pasting text copied from PDFs, documents or web pages into code, a CMS or a spreadsheet, where hidden characters and formatting cause trouble.

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