Remove zero-width spaces and other hidden characters from text
A zero-width space (U+200B) takes up no room on screen, so you cannot see it. It still counts as a character. CtrAltRemove marks every one in your text, then removes the ones you pick.
Nothing leaves this page. No upload, no account, no tracking.
What these characters are
Invisible Unicode characters include the zero-width space (U+200B), zero-width non-joiner (U+200C), zero-width joiner (U+200D), word joiner (U+2060), the byte order mark (U+FEFF) and the soft hyphen (U+00AD). There are also look-alike spaces such as the no-break space (U+00A0) and the ideographic space (U+3000), and Unicode tag characters (U+E0000 to U+E007F).
Why they cause trouble
They can make two words that look identical fail a search or a find-and-replace, break a URL or a form field, add odd gaps in code, and sit unseen inside copied text. Scanning first shows you what is really there.
How to use this tool
- Paste your text, or open a .docx, .txt, .md or .html file.
- Press Scan. Every hidden character appears as an orange tag, in the spot where it sits.
- Press Remove. The cleaner keeps characters that have a job, such as the joiners inside emoji, and removes the rest.
What it does not do
It removes invisible characters. It cannot remove a statistical text watermark, which lives in word choice rather than in hidden characters. See the page on whether AI text watermarks can be removed.
Common questions
What is a zero-width space?
A zero-width space is the Unicode character U+200B. It has no visible width, so it cannot be seen, but it is still part of the text.
How do I find a zero-width space in my text?
Paste the text into CtrAltRemove and press Scan. Each hidden character is shown as an orange tag with its code, in place.
Does removing hidden characters break emoji?
No. The cleaner keeps joiners and variation selectors that belong to an emoji sequence and removes the ones that stand alone.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The scan and the cleaning run in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Sources: Google SynthID Text limitations
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