Extract text between selected delimiters
Paste text into the input area to extract the content between enabled delimiter pairs. The output appears one match per line and can be copied or downloaded. Matching is literal: the tool does not execute or evaluate code or regular expressions.
Choose delimiters and matching policies
Enable any of these preset controls:
- Double, Single, Curly double, or Curly single quotes
- Brackets, Parentheses, Backticks, or Angle brackets
For another pair, fill in both Custom start and Custom end. The custom pair is used alongside any selected presets. For example, enter ~~ in both fields to match ~~text~~.
Use Nesting policy to choose how asymmetric delimiters are paired:
- Shortest (classic) pairs an opener with the next closer.
- Balanced (outermost) returns the outermost complete span of a nested group.
- Balanced (all levels) returns complete pairs at every nesting depth.
Symmetric delimiters, such as quotes and backticks, always use next-occurrence pairing, even when a balanced option is selected. For unmatched delimiters, choose Ignore or Flag / report.
Adjust the extracted output
- Unique only removes duplicate extracted values.
- Include delimiters keeps the surrounding delimiter characters in each value.
- Skip empty matches removes values whose extracted content is empty when delimiters are excluded. With Include delimiters enabled, values such as
""or[]are not empty output values. - Include source position adds the starting line and column to each output line.
When matches are found, the results table shows Match, Delimiter, Position, and Depth. The unmatched-delimiter table appears only when Flag / report is selected and unmatched delimiters exist.
How to use the tool
- Paste text into the input area, or upload a file. The file picker accepts
.txt,.csv,.json,.log, and.mdfiles. You can also drop a file onto the input area. - Enable the delimiter presets you need and/or fill in both custom marker fields.
- Choose Nesting policy and Unmatched delimiters options.
- Adjust Unique only, Include delimiters, Skip empty matches, and Include source position.
- Use Copy to copy the output or Download to save
extracted-text.txt.
Limits and processing details
The implementation defines no maximum input size or tested large-file threshold, so no precise capacity limit can be stated here. Text extraction and file reading occur in browser JavaScript. The local tool script does not send the entered text to a server, but this page also loads analytics and other external resources; this does not establish an absolute page-level privacy guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What delimiter styles are supported?
Eight presets: straight double quotes, straight single quotes, curly double quotes, curly single quotes, square brackets, parentheses, backticks, and angle brackets - plus one custom start/end marker of your own.
How does nesting work?
Choose Shortest (classic), Balanced (outermost), or Balanced (all levels). Shortest pairs an opener with the next closer. The balanced options apply to asymmetric delimiters; symmetric delimiters such as quotes always use next-occurrence pairing.
What happens to unmatched delimiters?
They are ignored by default. Switch Unmatched delimiters to Flag / report to list unmatched openers or closers with their delimiter type and source position.
Does this tool evaluate code or regular expressions?
No. Delimiters are matched as literal text only. The tool does not execute, parse, or evaluate code or regular expressions.
Can I see where each match came from in the source text?
Yes. Enable Include source position to add the starting line and column to each output line. The results table also shows the position for each match.
Is my text kept private?
Text extraction and file reading occur locally in browser JavaScript, and the tool script does not send the entered text to a server. The page does load analytics and other external resources, so this statement does not cover all page-level network activity.