Reveal spaces, tabs, and line endings in plain text. Find invisible formatting differences in copied text and code samples.
How to use
Paste the text and inspect the marked output. Spaces appear as dots, tabs as arrows, and line endings as return marks.
Example
Two words separated by a tab show an arrow between them. Two ordinary spaces show two dots instead.
FAQ
Should I replace my source with this output?
No. The marks are an inspection view that adds visible characters. Use the original text when applying actual whitespace edits.
Related tools
A practical task
Use the marked output to diagnose a formatting mismatch, then edit the original source. A dot represents a space in the inspection view; copying that dot back changes the content rather than cleaning it. Compare the characters around the first unexpected mark.
Another useful question
Can the tool reveal every invisible Unicode control?
It marks the supported spaces, tabs, and line endings. Use code point inspection when a suspicious character has no visible marker here.
Details for interpreting the result
| Detail | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Whitespace characters | An ordinary space, a tab, a nonbreaking space, and a zero width space are different characters. They can look similar or invisible. Choose the exact kind of cleanup instead of treating all blank looking input as equivalent. |
| Tabs and positions | A tab character usually moves to a tab stop in an editor. Replacing it with a fixed number of spaces is a different operation. The visible distance depends on the editor's tab width and the current position. |
| Trimming and content | Trimming removes characters from an edge rather than the middle. Whole text trimming differs from trimming every line. Preserve indentation in code or structured text when it carries meaning. |
| Monospace alignment | In a monospace font, ordinary characters occupy a regular grid. Proportional fonts use different widths, so inserted spaces do not create reliable visual columns. Check display settings before judging padded text. |
| Code points | A Unicode code point identifies a character or a component of one. A letter followed by a combining accent contains two code points even when the screen displays one accented letter. |
| Similar looking text | Two strings can look identical but use different Unicode sequences. An accented letter can be stored directly or as a letter plus an accent. Visual similarity alone does not establish byte equality. |
| Paragraphs and lines | A manual line break and a paragraph boundary serve different purposes. Export tools can map them differently. Inspect lists, addresses, and intentional blank lines rather than treating every visible break as interchangeable. |