Does uppercase sort before lowercase here?
No. Sorting uses locale-aware comparison, which groups each word with its case variants (like "apple" and "Apple") next to each other rather than sorting all capitalized words before all lowercase ones.
Text Sorter Free - Alphabetical & By Length
Sort text lines alphabetically or by length, remove duplicates, and clean pasted lists in seconds.
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About this tool
This tool sorts pasted lines using your browser's built-in locale-aware string comparison, not raw character-code order - so mixed-case lists sort the way most readers expect ("apple" and "Apple" land next to each other, rather than every capitalized word being pushed to the front). It doesn't do natural (numeric-aware) sorting, though: numbers embedded in text are compared character by character, so "item 10" sorts before "item 2" under both A-Z and Z-A modes, the same way a plain alphabetical sort always has.
Every line is trimmed of leading/trailing whitespace and fully blank lines are removed automatically, with no option to keep them. The optional "Remove duplicates" checkbox is a case-sensitive exact match - "Apple" and "apple" are treated as different lines and both kept.
A text sorter that arranges pasted lines A to Z, Z to A, shortest first, or longest first, with optional case-sensitive duplicate removal - using your browser's locale-aware string comparison rather than raw character-code order or numeric-aware ("natural") sorting.
How to Use Text Sorter
Paste Lines
Paste your items with one value per line.
Choose Sort Mode
Sort from A to Z, Z to A, shortest first, or longest first.
Optional Cleanup
Remove duplicate lines before generating the final sorted output.
Copy or Download
Copy the sorted list or download it as a text file.
Common Workflows
Paste Your List
Add lines with one item per line into the input box.
Choose a Sort Mode
Pick A to Z, Z to A, Shortest First, or Longest First.
Optionally Remove Duplicates
Check the box to drop exact, case-sensitive repeat lines before sorting.
Copy or Download
Copy the sorted output or download it as a .txt file.
Best For
- Four sort modes - A to Z, Z to A, Shortest First, Longest First - using locale-aware comparison, so mixed-case text sorts in natural reading order rather than grouping all capitals first.
- No natural (numeric-aware) sort mode - numbers inside text compare character by character, so "item 10" sorts before "item 2."
- Optional duplicate removal is case-sensitive ("Apple" and "apple" both survive) - runs entirely in your browser, no login required.
Examples
Case sorts in natural reading order, not all-caps-first
Input (A to Z)
"banana" / "Apple" / "cherry" / "apple" / "Banana"Result
"apple", "Apple", "banana", "Banana", "cherry"The sort groups each word with its case variants next to each other (apple/Apple, banana/Banana) rather than sorting every capitalized word before every lowercase one - the result of using locale-aware comparison instead of raw character-code order.
Numbers inside text sort character by character, not numerically
Input (A to Z)
"item 1" / "item 10" / "item 2" / "item 20" / "item 3"Result
"item 1", "item 10", "item 2", "item 20", "item 3""item 10" sorts before "item 2" because the comparison reads character by character - "1" comes before "2" - regardless of the full number's value. There's no natural-sort mode to fix this; if your list has double-digit numbers you want in numeric order, sort it in a spreadsheet instead.
Use Cases
Alphabetizing a keyword list compiled from multiple sources
Paste keyword ideas gathered from different research sessions and sort them into one clean A-Z list.
Organizing a reference or bibliography list
Sort entries alphabetically by author or title for quick scanning.
Finding your shortest and longest list items
Use Shortest First or Longest First to spot unusually brief or long entries, like outlier headlines or tags.
Cleaning a list while sorting it
Check Remove Duplicates to drop exact repeat lines in the same pass as sorting - keeping in mind it won't catch case variants like "Apple" and "apple."
Common Mistakes
Problem
Expecting numbers to sort in numeric order
Solution
Numbers embedded in text sort character by character, so "item 10" comes before "item 2." There's no natural-sort mode.
Problem
Expecting Remove Duplicates to catch different-case repeats
Solution
Deduplication is an exact, case-sensitive match - "Apple" and "apple" are treated as different lines and both survive.
Problem
Pasting a comma- or space-separated list instead of one item per line
Solution
The tool only splits on line breaks - a single line with commas between items is treated as one entry, not multiple.
Problem
Expecting blank lines to be preserved
Solution
Every line is trimmed and fully blank lines are removed automatically before sorting - there's no option to keep them.
Tips & Best Practices
Use a spreadsheet for lists with meaningful multi-digit numbers
If numeric order matters (SKUs, rankings, page numbers), this tool's character-by-character comparison won't give you what you want - sort numerically in a spreadsheet instead.
Normalize case first if you need case-insensitive deduplication
Remove Duplicates only catches exact, case-sensitive repeats - lowercase your list first if "Apple" and "apple" should count as the same entry.
Use Shortest First or Longest First to spot outliers
Sorting by length quickly surfaces unusually short or long entries in a list, which is often more useful than reading the whole list top to bottom.
Paste one item per line
Convert comma- or tab-separated lists to one-per-line first if your source data isn't already formatted that way.
Limitations
No natural (numeric-aware) sort
Numbers inside text compare character by character - "item 10" sorts before "item 2" under both A-Z and Z-A modes.
Duplicate removal is case-sensitive
"Apple" and "apple" are treated as different lines and both kept when Remove Duplicates is checked.
No delimiter options
Input is split on line breaks only - there's no support for comma-, space-, or tab-separated lists.
Blank lines always removed, whitespace always trimmed
Every line is trimmed and empty lines are dropped automatically - neither behavior can be turned off.
Sort order depends on your browser's default locale comparison
Sorting uses your browser's built-in locale-aware string comparison without a fixed locale specified, so exact ordering of accented or non-Latin characters could vary slightly between browsers or operating system language settings.
Splits on \n and \r\n, not standalone \r
Windows and standard Unix/Mac line endings are recognized; the legacy classic-Mac-only \r line ending is not specifically handled.
Comparisons
This Tool vs. a Spreadsheet's Sort
Both sort lists, but they handle embedded numbers very differently.
| This Tool (Text Sorter) | A Spreadsheet (e.g., Excel/Google Sheets) | |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers embedded in text | Sorted character by character ("item 10" before "item 2") | Can sort numerically within a column if formatted as numbers |
| Setup required | None - paste text and pick a mode | Requires importing data into cells/columns first |
| Case handling | Locale-aware comparison groups case variants together | Configurable, varies by spreadsheet sort settings |
Which should you use?
Use this tool for a fast, no-setup sort of a pasted text list; use a spreadsheet when your list has numbers that need true numeric ordering.
FAQs
The most common question is whether this sorts numbers the way a spreadsheet would - it doesn't. Numbers inside text are sorted character by character (so "item 10" comes before "item 2"), and there's no natural-sort mode that fixes this. The FAQ below also covers how case, duplicates, and blank lines are handled.
Why does "item 10" come before "item 2"?
Numbers inside text are compared character by character, not as full numeric values - there's no natural-sort mode. Use a spreadsheet if you need true numeric ordering.
Does Remove Duplicates catch "Apple" and "apple" as the same line?
No. Deduplication is an exact, case-sensitive match, so differently-cased versions of the same word are both kept.
Does it keep blank lines?
No. Every line is trimmed and fully blank lines are removed automatically before sorting - this can't be turned off.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. CoditTools's text sorter runs entirely in your browser - your text is never sent to any server.
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