Tab to Spaces Converter

How to use

1. Paste code — Enter text with tabs or spaces
2. Choose conversion — Select tabs→spaces or spaces→tabs
3. Copy — Copy the converted text

What Is Tab to Spaces?

Tab to Spaces is a code utility that converts tab characters (\t) into a configurable number of space characters, or the reverse. It eliminates inconsistent indentation when files originate from different editors, contributors, or coding standards. The conversion preserves the visual layout while making whitespace deterministic.

Why Indentation Style Matters

Tabs and spaces look identical in the editor but behave differently across tools: diff utilities flag them as changes, linters reject mixed indentation, and Python actually treats them as syntax errors. Using one style consistently keeps repositories clean and pull requests focused on real changes.

Common Conventions by Language

• 2 spaces: JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Vue, Ruby, Scala, YAML
• 4 spaces: Python (PEP 8), Java, C#, PHP, Rust
• Tabs: Go (enforced by gofmt), Makefiles (required by make)
• Project-specific: follow the existing file or .editorconfig

How the Converter Works

Every tab character in the input is replaced with the configured number of spaces (default four). When converting the other direction, leading runs of spaces are grouped into tabs based on the same width. Trailing whitespace and inline spaces inside string literals are left untouched so your code's behavior never changes — only its indentation.

Use Cases

Onboarding a new contributor whose editor inserts tabs into a spaces-only repo. Cleaning up legacy code before adopting an automatic formatter like Prettier or Black. Pasting code from documentation that uses one style into a project that uses another. Preparing snippets for a blog post or Markdown file where inconsistent indentation breaks code blocks.

Privacy

Conversion happens entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded, no telemetry is collected, and the input disappears as soon as you close the tab.

Use the JS Minifier to strip whitespace entirely. Format JSON with the JSON Formatter. Add line numbers with the Line Number Adder.

Frequently asked questions

Why convert between tabs and spaces?

Different projects and editors use different indentation standards. Converting ensures consistency across your codebase.

What's the standard space count?

2 spaces (JavaScript, Ruby) and 4 spaces (Python, Java) are the most common. Some teams prefer tabs.

Does it preserve other whitespace?

Yes. Only tab characters (→spaces) or leading space groups (→tabs) are converted.

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