Text separator

Text separator is a free tool that replaces the existing separators in a block of text with new lines, spaces, commas, full stops or another chosen separator.

How do I use the text separator?

Enter the delimiter already used in your text, then choose the delimiter you want instead.

1. Paste the source text and enter its existing separator, such as a comma or vertical bar, in Currently separated by.
2. Set Separate by, or choose New line or Space where appropriate.
3. Run the tool, then copy the converted text and check that the existing separator has been replaced as intended in the first and last few items.

The work takes place on the server. Your input travels to the server over HTTPS and is not stored, so avoid assuming that the text remains entirely on your device.

Where does changing text separators save time?

Changing separators saves time when one system produces a list in a format that another system cannot use directly.

• Excel and Google Sheets: turn a copied column of values into a comma-separated or space-separated line before pasting it elsewhere.
• Shopify product data: prepare a simple comma-separated set of product tags, provided the tag names themselves do not contain commas.
• Microsoft Word mail merge: convert a single delimited field into separate lines for checking. Separator replacement alone does not create a complete mail-merge data source.
• Database and reporting work: change pipe-separated output into lines so that each value is easier to inspect, count or paste into a spreadsheet column.
• Contact list clean-up: place email addresses copied from a comma-separated field on individual lines before using an Email extractor or checking them manually.

A useful habit is to use an uncommon character, such as a vertical bar, as a temporary separator while editing. First check that the character does not already occur inside any value, otherwise genuine content may be split.

Which separator should I choose?

Choose the separator required by the destination field or application, rather than the one that merely looks neat on screen.

• Use New line for one item per row, including lists intended for spreadsheet columns or line-based processing.
• Use Space for a single readable line, but only when spaces inside individual values will not become ambiguous.
• Use commas for simple lists and fields that explicitly expect comma-separated values.
• Use a vertical bar when commas and spaces already appear within the values and the receiving system accepts pipes.
• Use full stops only when the text format genuinely treats them as delimiters. They also occur in decimal numbers, abbreviations, email domains and web addresses.

Separator replacement is not the same as producing a standards-compliant CSV file. CSV needs quoting and escaping when values contain commas, quotation marks or line breaks.

Worked separation examples

To put a pipe-separated colour list on separate lines, enter | under Currently separated by and choose New line.

Input

red|green|blue

Output

red

green

blue

To turn a comma-separated list into a space-separated line, use a comma as the current separator and select Space.

Input

Leeds,Manchester,Bristol

Output

Leeds Manchester Bristol

Check for spaces beside the original delimiter before converting. For example, comma-separated text may contain a space after every comma, and that space is part of the source text unless it is removed separately.

How should I handle awkward input?

Inspect punctuation and repeated delimiters before converting awkward input, because a separator tool cannot work out which occurrences carry meaning.

Numbers and letters are normally just content, but a chosen delimiter may also be part of that content. Splitting on a full stop can break 12.50, example.co.uk and initials such as J. R. Hart. Splitting on spaces can divide multi-word names, addresses and product descriptions.

Repeated separators may represent missing values, as in red||blue. Do not remove the apparent gap until you know whether the empty position matters. Very long input is also easier to verify in smaller sections, while an empty input provides nothing to separate. This tool changes separators only. It does not identify duplicates, so use Duplicate lines remover if repeated lines need separate treatment.

Frequently asked questions

Can a text separator create a valid CSV file?

No, simple delimiter replacement is not enough to guarantee valid CSV. Fields containing commas, quotation marks or line breaks need the correct CSV quoting rules, and every record should have a consistent number of fields.

Can I split first names from surnames?

You can split on a space, but that does not reliably identify name parts. Names may contain several words, hyphens, prefixes or suffixes, so review the result before using it for personalisation or mail merge.

Will accented letters, emoji and non-Latin text still work?

Unicode support is not specified. If one of these characters is chosen as the delimiter, it may be replaced wherever it occurs.

Is it safe to paste confidential information?

The input is sent to the server over HTTPS and is not stored. Even so, because this tool processes input on the server, follow your organisation's rules for personal, financial, medical or commercially sensitive data.

What if my values already contain the new separator?

The result can become ambiguous because the original and inserted separators will look identical. Choose a delimiter that cannot occur in the values, or use a structured format such as correctly quoted CSV when embedded punctuation must be preserved.