✂️ Remove Extra Spaces in Excel
Removes spaces at the start and end of cells, double spaces and invisible characters that make identical entries look different to Excel.
What it does
- Removes spaces before and after the text in every cell
- Turns multiple spaces into one
- Removes invisible characters copied from websites and PDFs: non-breaking spaces, zero-width spaces and similar
- Replaces tabs and line breaks inside cells with a single space (optional)
- Fixes VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, MATCH and filters that fail although the values look the same
Example
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| " John Smith " | "John Smith" |
| "Brightline Dental" | "Brightline Dental" |
| "Boston" + invisible space | "Boston" |
How it works
Good to know
- Always keep a copy of your original file as a backup and check the cleaned copy before you use it.
- Numbers, dates and formulas are never changed — only text cells.
- Reads .xlsx, .xls and .csv files and saves the result as a new .xlsx file.
- Only the first worksheet is cleaned. Other worksheets and title rows above your table are kept unchanged.
- Values, dates and number formats are kept. Cell colors and fonts are not carried over to the cleaned copy.
- The tools are provided free of charge and "as is". We have built and tested them with great care, but we cannot guarantee that every entry is recognized or changed correctly. As far as permitted by law, we accept no liability for results or any damage arising from their use. See Legal Notice & Disclaimer.
More about this tool
Some problems in Excel are invisible. A cell that reads "Boston" may actually contain "Boston " with a trailing space, or a non-breaking space copied from a website. For Excel these are different values, so VLOOKUP returns #N/A, filters show the same entry twice and duplicates are not recognized.
Excel's TRIM() function removes normal spaces but not the invisible characters that come from web pages and PDFs. This tool removes both — in every text cell of your sheet at once.
Open the tool in your browser, choose your file, and save the cleaned copy. Nothing is uploaded and your original file stays as it was.
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