Align delimiter-separated text
Use Align Text Columns to split each line into columns and format the result with consistent spacing. The output updates automatically when you change the input or a control.
Enter or upload text
Paste delimiter-separated or multi-line text into the input area. To load a text file, select Upload or drop it on the input area. The file is read as text and placed in the input area.
Choose delimiters and alignment
- Choose Delimiter: Comma, Tab, Pipe, Semicolon, Space(s), or Custom.
- If you choose Custom, enter a delimiter of up to five characters. An empty value falls back to a comma.
- Choose Alignment: Left, Right, Center, or Auto (numeric).
- Leave Trim whitespace in cells enabled to remove leading and trailing spaces before alignment.
Set Column gap from 1 to 20 spaces when Spaces output is selected. This control is hidden for Tabs output.
Handle headers and output formatting
- First row is header excludes the first non-empty row from the numeric check used by Auto (numeric). It still participates in normal alignment and column-width measurement.
- Add separator row under header adds a hyphen separator after the first non-empty row only with Spaces output. The control is hidden or unavailable with Tabs.
- Rows with fewer cells are padded with empty cells so the output uses the widest row's column count.
- Choose Spaces for padded columns or Tabs to join cells with tab characters.
Review, copy, or download the result
Review the result in the output area as the tool processes your changes. Select Copy to copy it or Download to save it.
Input limitations and blank lines
The parser uses simple delimiter splitting. It does not implement CSV quoting or escaping, so a comma inside a quoted CSV field is still treated as a delimiter. Blank lines remain in the output when the input contains other non-empty lines. Entirely blank or whitespace-only input produces empty output.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I align CSV or delimited data into columns online?
Paste or load your delimiter-separated text, choose the matching delimiter, and the tool updates the aligned output automatically. It pads columns when Spaces output is selected; Tabs output joins cells with tab characters.
Can numeric columns be right-aligned automatically?
Select Auto (numeric). When First row is header is enabled, the first non-empty row is excluded from the numeric check. A column is right-aligned when the checked values are numeric; other columns remain left-aligned.