Find invisible Unicode characters in text
Reveal zero-width spaces, non-breaking spaces, smart quotes, and look-alike Unicode characters that break code, config, or searches.
Open the tool, then paste the sample input below. Everything runs locally in your browser.
The problem
Invisible and look-alike characters can make two strings appear identical while code, queries, or config comparisons fail. Inspecting code points shows what is actually in the text.
Sample input
user@example.com​Expected output
Found U+200B ZERO WIDTH SPACE after .com
Suggested cleanup: remove invisible characterHow to do it
- Paste the suspicious text.
- Run the inspection.
- Review code points and invisible character warnings.
- Copy the cleaned text if needed.
- Re-test the value in the target system.
Common mistakes
- Trusting what text looks like on screen.
- Missing non-breaking spaces copied from documents.
- Confusing hyphen, en dash, and minus sign.
- Leaving zero-width characters in identifiers or URLs.
Related tools
FAQ
What is a zero-width character?
It is a Unicode character that affects text but has no visible width, such as U+200B zero-width space.
Why do smart quotes break config files?
Many formats require plain ASCII quotes. Smart quotes are different Unicode characters.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Unicode inspection runs locally in your browser.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. This workflow runs locally in your browser unless you explicitly copy or share the result yourself.
This guide uses browser-local tooling. Avoid pasting production secrets unless you understand what the tool displays and shares.
Continue with adjacent browser-based tools for the same workflow.