About this tool
Organize a pasted list without opening a spreadsheet. The Text Sorter orders one item per line, removes repeated entries, and reports how many duplicates and blank lines it removed. Keep original order when you only want to deduplicate a list.
How to use
- Paste one item per line, or load the sample into an empty input.
- Open Sorting options to choose A to Z, Z to A, or Keep original order and adjust cleanup. Defaults use A to Z, natural numbers, duplicate removal, trimmed edges, and no blank lines.
- Select Sort list, inspect the output and removal counts, then copy or download the text.
Alphabetical and natural number order
Sorting uses the browser’s English Intl.Collator. Natural number sorting compares digit sequences as numbers: item 2 comes before item 10. Turn it off for lexical sorting. This option is intended for numbered labels, not signed decimals, scientific notation, or financial amounts. Equal sorting keys retain their input order.
What counts as a duplicate?
Duplicates are compared after optional trimming of each line. Exact matching keeps Apple and apple separate; Ignore letter case merges them and retains the first spelling. Accents remain significant. Blank-line removal treats whitespace-only lines as empty. Disabling it keeps blank entries, although duplicate removal can still merge repeated blank lines.
Practical list cleanup
Use this for keyword lists, product labels, filenames, or a pasted checklist. For example, beta, alpha, beta on separate lines becomes alpha, beta with the default options. Choose Keep original order to retain beta, alpha instead. This is line-based text processing, so a CSV row containing a quoted line break needs a CSV-aware tool.
Local processing and output
Processing happens only when you select Sort list. Editing input or settings clears the previous result so it cannot be mistaken for the current output. Downloads use UTF-8 text and LF line breaks. The tool does not save your input between visits or transmit it to perform sorting.
Continue this workflow
Use the adjacent tool when the next step calls for a different input, output, or method.
Assumptions and limitations
- Maximum input: 200,000 characters and 20,000 lines.
- English collation can differ slightly between browser or Unicode versions; this is not a byte-for-byte sort.
- No spreadsheet column sorting, CSV parsing, or locale selector. Use CSV Viewer for tabular data.
- Unicode normalization is not applied; visually identical characters with different encodings can remain separate.
Sources and standards
These authoritative references were used to verify the method and guidance on this page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove duplicates without sorting?
Yes. Select Keep original order and enable Remove duplicates. The first occurrence of each matching line is retained.
Why does item 2 come before item 10?
Natural number sorting is enabled by default. Disable it to compare labels lexically instead.
Does ignoring case also remove accents?
No. It ignores letter case but keeps accent differences. The first matching line’s spelling is preserved.
Is my list saved when I close the page?
No. Copy or download the output before leaving; this tool keeps no saved history.