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Column Align — Format Text Into Even Columns

Pad delimited rows into an even monospace grid, like column -t, with correct CJK width — browser-only

  • Runs locally
  • Category Text
  • Best for Removing repetitive cleanup work from everyday writing and operations.
Split every line on a delimiter, then pad with spaces so the columns line up into a clean grid — the same result as `column -t`. Pick the delimiter, choose left or right alignment (right reads best for numbers), set the gap between columns, and the table redraws live. CJK characters count as two cells so mixed Chinese / English rows stay straight in a monospace font. Everything runs in your browser; the share link reopens the same table.
Delimiter
Align

On: Chinese / Japanese / Korean characters take two cells, matching how a monospace terminal renders them. Off: every character counts as one.

Input4 rows · 3 cols
Aligned output

What this tool does

Free column aligner that turns ragged, space- or comma-separated rows into a clean monospace grid, the same result you get from the Unix `column -t` command but in your browser with no install. Paste any tabular text: split each line on whitespace, comma, tab, pipe or your own custom delimiter, and every column is padded with spaces so the cells line up vertically. Pick left alignment for labels or right alignment for numbers, set how many spaces sit between columns, and the table redraws live as you type. The detail most online aligners get wrong is width: a Chinese, Japanese or Korean character takes two cells in a monospace font, so this tool counts CJK as width 2 by default and your mixed Chinese and English rows stay perfectly straight. Ragged rows with missing fields are handled too, short rows just leave trailing columns blank. One-click copy and a shareable link that reopens the exact table. 100% client-side, nothing is uploaded.

Tool details

Input
Text + Numbers
The page exposes text boxes, numeric controls, file pickers, or structured inputs depending on the tool.
Output
Live result + Copy
The result area focuses on usable output, with copy, download, or preview actions when supported.
Privacy
Browser-side processing
The main tool logic does not call an external API, so inputs normally stay in the current tab.
Save / share
Shareable URL state
Key settings are encoded in the URL so another person can reopen the same setup.
Performance budget
Initial JS <= 9 KB
No WASM budget is declared, keeping the tool quick to open on mobile.
Best fit
Text · Developer
Category and role tags drive related tools, internal links, and quick fit checks.

How to use

  1. 1. Input

    Paste or drop your content into the tool panel.

  2. 2. Process

    Click the button. All processing is local in your browser.

  3. 3. Copy / Download

    Copy the result or download to disk in one click.

How Column Align fits into your work

Use it to clean, compare, reshape, or extract plain text before it goes into a document, CMS, spreadsheet, or prompt.

Text jobs

  • Removing repetitive cleanup work from everyday writing and operations.
  • Making text easier to compare, paste, publish, or feed into another tool.
  • Working with content locally when the text is private or unfinished.

Text checks

  • Scan for unintended whitespace, duplicate lines, and lost punctuation.
  • For long text, test the first few lines before applying the whole change.
  • Copy the final output only after checking the preview.

Good next steps

These links move the current task into a more complete workflow.

  1. 1 Text Sorter Sort lines alphabetically, numerically, by length, or reverse — case-sensitive optional — browser-only Open
  2. 2 Tabs to Spaces Converter Convert tabs to spaces and spaces to tabs, real tab-stop alignment, leading-indent or whole-line, all in your browser Open
  3. 3 Find and Replace Text Batch find-and-replace on big text — regex, $1 capture groups, whole-word, case toggle, multiple chained rules — runs entirely in your browser Open

Real-world use cases

  • Clean up a config or log dump for a code comment

    You copied a few rows of key-value output from a shell command and want to paste them into a code comment or a README without the columns looking like a drunk staircase. Drop the text in, leave the delimiter on whitespace, and you get an evenly padded block that stays aligned in any monospace view. No more eyeballing spaces by hand or fighting your editor's auto-format.

  • Right-align a column of numbers in a Markdown or plain table

    A list of items with prices or counts reads far better when the numbers line up by place value. Paste the rows, switch alignment to right, and the digits stack under one clean right edge so 9, 99 and 999 are instantly comparable. Copy the result straight into a fenced code block where Markdown keeps the monospace alignment.

  • Align mixed Chinese and English data without it going crooked

    Bilingual tables are where most aligners fall apart: a Chinese name is two cells wide per character, so naive padding leaves the next column ragged. With CJK width counted as 2, a roster like `张伟 engineer` and `Bob designer` lines the roles up in the same column, ready to paste into a terminal, a chat, or a wiki page.

  • Turn messy CSV-ish paste into a readable grid

    Someone sends you comma-separated values inline in a message and you just want to read them, not import them into a spreadsheet. Switch the delimiter to comma, paste, and the fields snap into aligned columns you can scan at a glance, with the share link letting you send the cleaned-up view back to them.

Common pitfalls

  • Padding by character count instead of display width. A CJK character is two cells wide in monospace, so counting it as one leaves every column after it crooked. Keep the `Count CJK as width 2` switch on for any row that mixes Chinese, Japanese or Korean with Latin text.

  • Picking the wrong delimiter for the data. Whitespace mode collapses runs of spaces and tabs, which is wrong for CSV where empty fields matter, switch to Comma so `a,,b` keeps its empty middle cell instead of dropping it.

  • Expecting tab characters in the output. This tool pads with literal spaces so the grid survives anywhere, regardless of an editor's tab width. If you actually need tab-indented output, convert spaces back to tabs afterward with a tabs-to-spaces tool.

Privacy

Every step — splitting each line, measuring cell width, and padding the columns — is plain JavaScript that runs inside your browser tab. Nothing you paste is uploaded, and there is no logging of your text. The one caveat: the shareable link encodes your input in the URL query string, so a "share link" pasted into chat will record that text in the recipient server's access log. For anything confidential, use the copy button and paste the aligned text rather than sharing the URL.

FAQ

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Made by Toolora · 100% client-side · Updated 2026-06-13