A character-class strip, seeded with standard bullets
Under the hood this uses the generic trim op with a preset character class: `-*+• ` (dash, asterisk, plus, bullet, space). The regex `/^[\-\*\+\• ]+/` is applied to each line's start, stripping any consecutive run of those characters.
Because the char set includes a single space, the common `- Item` / `* Item` / `• Item` pattern strips both the bullet and the separator space in one pass. A line with only leading whitespace (no bullet) will also lose its whitespace - switch Side to End or edit Chars to exclude space if you need to preserve indentation.
To target a custom bullet (e.g. `▸`, `✅`, `→`), paste it into Chars to trim. To strip bullets from the end of lines too (unusual), change Side to Both.
How to use remove bullets from list items
- 1Paste your bullet-prefixed list into the input panel
- 2Default strips `-`, `*`, `+`, `•`, and spaces from the line start
- 3Edit Chars to trim for custom bullet characters
- 4Change Side to End only or Both if you need different trimming
- 5The op shares logic with trim - see that page for advanced character-class stripping
Keyboard shortcuts
Drive ListShift without touching the mouse.
What this tool actually does
Same op as trim, pre-seeded with standard bullet characters.
Strips standard bullets by default
Chars `-*+• ` covers the four common ASCII/Unicode bullet markers plus the separator space. Paste `- Apple` / `* Banana` / `• Cherry` - all lose their prefix.
Runs greedily on any run of those characters
The regex uses `+` (one or more), so `--- Item` becomes `Item` in one pass. Useful for lists with double-bullet artifacts from bad copy-paste.
Start-only by default
Side defaults to Start - trailing `-` or `*` are preserved as content. Switch to End or Both only if your data actually has trailing bullet markers.
Customize for custom bullets
Paste `▸` or `→` or any other glyph into Chars to trim to target those. Character-class behaviour - every listed char is stripped if it appears in the run.
Reversible
Add bullets adds any single-character or short-string bullet back. For a specific bullet, use Add a prefix.
Worked example
Four common bullet styles, all stripped in one pass with the default Chars set.
- Item 1 * Item 2 + Item 3 • Item 4
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4
Settings reference
How each option shapes the output using the sample above.
| Setting | What it does | Effect on the sample |
|---|---|---|
| Side: Start (default), Chars: `-*+• ` (default) | Strips standard bullets + space from line start | `- Item 1` / `* Item 2` / `+ Item 3` / `• Item 4` → `Item 1` / `Item 2` / `Item 3` / `Item 4` |
| Side: End | Strips from line end instead of start | Unchanged on this sample (no trailing bullets) |
| Side: Both | Strips from both ends | Useful if bullets appear on both sides |
| Chars: `▸→` | Only those custom bullets | Would leave `-`, `*`, `+`, `•` alone |
| Chars blank | Fallback to whitespace-only trim | Strips leading spaces/tabs; bullets stay |