What counts as extra whitespace
Extra whitespace is any spacing your text doesn't need: two or more spaces between words, spaces at the end of lines, runs of empty lines between paragraphs, and invisible characters such as non-breaking spaces and zero-width spaces. It usually sneaks in when text is copied from PDFs, Word documents, emails or web pages.
Options explained
- Collapse multiple spaces turns any run of spaces into a single space.
- Trim start and end of lines removes indentation and trailing spaces from every line.
- Collapse blank lines keeps paragraphs separate but reduces several empty lines between them to one.
- Remove all blank lines deletes every empty line, which is useful for lists.
- Convert tabs to spaces replaces tab characters with a normal space.
- Fix non-breaking and invisible spaces replaces non-breaking and other unusual space characters with a normal space, and deletes zero-width characters.
Why it matters
Stray whitespace causes real problems beyond looks. Two entries that differ only by a trailing space won't match in a spreadsheet lookup or a database. Non-breaking spaces can stop text from wrapping properly on a web page. Double spaces in published content look careless. And in SEO work, a trailing space in a URL, title tag or product name can create an entirely different value from the one you meant.
Keeping code indentation
If you're cleaning code or data where indentation matters, such as Python or YAML, untick Trim start and end of lines and Collapse multiple spaces so leading spaces are kept.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove double spaces after full stops?
Keep "Collapse multiple spaces" ticked. Every run of two or more spaces, including after full stops, becomes a single space.
What is a non-breaking space?
A special space character (often from Word or web pages) that looks normal but prevents a line break and doesn't match a regular space in searches. The "Fix non-breaking and invisible spaces" option replaces it with a normal space.
Will it remove my paragraph breaks?
No, unless you tick "Remove all blank lines". By default, paragraphs stay separated by one empty line.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The cleanup happens entirely in your browser.
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