Tabs to Spaces
Tabs to Spaces replaces every tab with a chosen number of ordinary spaces.
Example: tabs to spaces
a\tb
a b
How to use this tool
- Paste text containing tabs.
- Set Spaces per tab between one and sixteen, then run the tool.
- Check alignment in the destination editor.
How the result is made
The tool repeats a space character for each tab; the width control is clamped between one and sixteen. With a setting of four, “a<TAB>b” becomes “a b”. Existing spaces and line breaks are unchanged. The conversion is literal, not a tab-stop calculation based on column position.
When to use it
Use it to make pasted indentation predictable in an environment that handles tabs inconsistently. Remove Extra Spaces would collapse tab runs to a single space and erase alignment. Trim Lines removes indentation at line edges; this tool preserves its approximate width as spaces.
Details to check
A tab at different columns may normally jump to the next tab stop, so a fixed number of spaces may not reproduce the exact visual layout. Check aligned tables and code blocks after conversion, and choose the count expected by the destination.
Questions people ask
Does it use tab stops?
No. Each tab becomes a fixed number of spaces.
Are existing spaces altered?
No. They stay as entered.
Can it convert spaces back to tabs?
No. This operation is one-way.