Left-align a String
Remove leading indentation so every line starts at the margin. Runs entirely in your browser, so your data never leaves your device.
0 chars · 0 lines
Output
The result appears here as you type.
How to use Left-align a String
- 1. Paste the indented text. Enter the text you want to unindent into the input pane, such as code copied from a nested block or a quoted email with leading spaces.
- 2. Decide whether to trim trailing spaces too. Turn on Also trim trailing spaces if you want to remove stray whitespace at the end of each line at the same time as the leading indentation.
- 3. Copy the flush-left result. Copy the result from the output pane, where every line now starts at the left margin regardless of how it was originally indented.
When to use Left-align a String
Left-align a String removes leading whitespace from every line so text that arrived indented, such as code pasted from a nested function or a quoted reply, starts flush at the margin. It's a quick fix for text that picked up unwanted indentation on the way into your clipboard.
- Cleaning up code copied from a nested block. You copied a function body out of a deeply nested class and every line kept the original indentation baked in. Left-aligning strips it so the snippet reads cleanly on its own.
- Fixing an over-indented email quote. A forwarded email reply has extra leading spaces on every line from the mail client's quoting style. Left-aligning restores normal margins before you reuse the text.
- Preparing a code sample for documentation. A code snippet pulled from a deeply nested file has four levels of indentation that don't make sense outside the original context. Left-aligning it resets the baseline before you add it to docs.
- Removing inconsistent indentation from pasted notes. Notes copied from different sources have mismatched leading whitespace on different lines. Left-aligning normalizes them all to the same starting column.
Examples
Left align
Input
a
bOutput
a b
About the Left-align a String tool
Left-align a String does its work locally, right in the browser. Remove leading indentation so every line starts at the margin. There is no upload step, no queue and no account, and your data never travels over the network.
It belongs to the String Tools collection on EditSafely, a set of 159 small, focused String utilities that share the same instant, private workspace.
You can shape the output with the Also trim trailing spaces setting, and the result refreshes the moment you change it. A worked example further down the page shows exactly what the tool produces for a real input.
Running locally also makes the tool fast and dependable: results appear as you type or drop a file, there is no server outage that can take it down mid-task, and confidential data can be processed without a second thought.
Frequently asked questions
Does Left-align a String cost anything?
Yes, it is completely free. All 2,658 tools on EditSafely work without an account, a subscription or usage limits.
Is it safe to paste sensitive or confidential data?
No data leaves your device. The whole tool is JavaScript that runs inside your browser tab, so there is no upload, no server-side processing and no log of what you did. If you disconnect from the internet after the page loads, it keeps working.
How much text can I process at once?
There is no fixed limit. Because the work happens on your own device rather than on a shared server, the practical ceiling is your machine's memory, which comfortably handles inputs far larger than typical online tools allow.
Do I need to sign up or install anything?
Nothing to install and no account needed. Open the page in any up-to-date browser, including on a phone or tablet, and the tool is ready.
How do I use the result?
The output panel has a one-click copy button, and you can keep refining the input while you work; the result updates in place as you type.