A line-ends whitespace stripper
Under the hood this is the trim op with default options: Side Both, Chars empty (fallback to whitespace). Each line gets `line.trim()` applied. Leading and trailing spaces, tabs, and other whitespace characters are stripped. Content in the middle of the line is untouched.
Common point of surprise: extra spaces *between* words are not collapsed. A line like `Fred Smith` stays `Fred Smith`. If you need to collapse runs of internal whitespace to a single space, use Replace with Regex Find `\s+` and Replace text ` ` (a single space).
Change Side to Start or End for one-sided stripping. Fill Chars to trim with specific characters to strip those instead of whitespace (same field used by trim and Remove bullets).
How to use remove extra spaces from list items
- 1Paste your list into the input panel
- 2Default strips whitespace from both ends of every line
- 3Switch Side to Start only / End only for one-sided trimming
- 4Leave Chars to trim blank for whitespace; fill it to strip specific characters instead
- 5For collapsing internal runs of spaces, chain Replace with regex `\s+` → ` `
Keyboard shortcuts
Drive ListShift without touching the mouse.
What this tool actually does
Same op as trim with identical defaults.
Strips leading + trailing whitespace
Matches `\s` - spaces, tabs, non-breaking spaces (Unicode aware) at each line's start and end. Internal whitespace is preserved.
Does NOT collapse internal runs
`Fred Smith` stays `Fred Smith`. For collapsing, use Replace with Regex on + Find `\s+` + Replace ` `.
One-sided trimming via Side option
Start only for leading strip; End only for trailing. Useful when the whitespace at one end is meaningful and you only want the other cleaned.
Chars to trim for non-whitespace targets
Fill Chars to trim with a character set (e.g. `.,;`) to strip those from the ends instead of whitespace. Whitespace is NOT included automatically - add a space to Chars if you want both.
Empty lines stay empty
A line that is only whitespace becomes an empty line (still present in the output). Pair with Remove empty lines to drop them entirely.
Worked example
Leading and trailing whitespace stripped from every line. Internal content and internal spacing untouched.
apple banana cherry tabbed line
apple banana cherry tabbed line
Settings reference
How each option shapes the output using the sample above.
| Setting | What it does | Effect on the sample |
|---|---|---|
| Side: Both (default), Chars blank | Strips whitespace from both ends | ` apple ` → `apple`; ` tabbed line ` → `tabbed line` |
| Side: Start only | Strips leading whitespace only | ` apple ` → `apple ` (trailing spaces kept) |
| Side: End only | Strips trailing whitespace only | ` apple ` → ` apple` (leading spaces kept) |
| Chars: `a` | Strips `a` from the ends (not whitespace) | `apple` → `pple`; `banana` → `banan` |
| Internal spaces (automatic) | Never collapsed | `Fred Smith` stays `Fred Smith` |