A separator-normalizing Replace
Default Find pattern is `[,;|\t]\s*` (regex): any single character from the set `,`, `;`, `|`, or tab, followed by any amount of optional whitespace. Default Replace is `, ` - one comma plus one space. The result: any mix of those delimiters collapses to the uniform target.
Per-line operation. A single line with mixed separators gets normalized; a list of lines each with internal separators works too (the Replace scans each line independently).
Override Find to match a different separator set. For example, `[/\\]\s*` to normalize slashes and backslashes. Override Replace to pick a different target separator (tab, pipe, ` | `).
How to use normalize list separators
- 1Paste your list into the input panel
- 2Default Find pattern matches `,`, `;`, `|`, tab + optional whitespace
- 3Default Replace is `, ` (comma + space)
- 4Override Find / Replace as needed; Regex mode is on by default
- 5For one-character-only separator swaps, see Change separator
Keyboard shortcuts
Drive ListShift without touching the mouse.
What this tool actually does
Pre-configured Regex-mode Replace for separator characters.
Default char set: `, ; | tab`
The regex `[,;|\t]` matches any one of those four characters. The `\s*` after it consumes trailing whitespace, so `; ` collapses cleanly to `, ` (no double-space).
Per-line scan
A line like `a; b , c` is scanned left-to-right, every match of the pattern is replaced. Lines without separators pass through unchanged.
Extend or narrow the char set
Edit Find to add or remove delimiter characters. For example, `[,;|/\\]\s*` adds forward slash and backslash to the set.
Change the target separator
Edit Replace to `\t` for tab-separated, `|` for pipe-separated, ` | ` for display-friendly pipes. Literal text only - no regex capture groups needed.
Invalid regex shows an error
If your custom Find pattern is malformed, the status bar reports the syntax error and the input is emitted unchanged. No silent data loss.
Worked example
Mixed separators (`;`, `,`, `|`) collapse to a uniform `, `.
apple; banana , orange | grape red , green ; blue|yellow
apple, banana, orange, grape red, green, blue, yellow
Settings reference
How each option shapes the output using the sample above.
| Setting | What it does | Effect on the sample |
|---|---|---|
| Find: `[,;|\t]\s*` (default), Replace: `, ` (default), Regex: on | Matches any of `,`, `;`, `|`, tab + trailing whitespace; replaces with `, ` | `apple; banana , orange | grape` → `apple, banana, orange, grape` |
| Replace: ` | ` | Same matching, replaced with pipe-surrounded-by-spaces | `apple; banana` → `apple | banana` |
| Find: `[,;|/]\s*` | Adds forward-slash to the char set | `a/b; c` also normalizes |
| Regex: off, Find: `, ` | Literal match - only plain `, ` pairs replaced | Other separators like `;` pass through |
| Invalid regex | Status bar reports error; input unchanged | No silent failures |