Indent Converter - Tabs ↔ Spaces

How to Use the Indent Converter

The Indent Converter is a simple tool that allows you to convert indentation between tabs and spaces. To use it, simply paste your code into the input box, select the desired conversion mode, and click 'Convert'. The output will update immediately as you type.

Tabs vs. Spaces: The Eternal Debate

The choice between tabs and spaces for code indentation is a long-standing debate in software development. Both approaches have their merits. Spaces render identically in every editor, terminal, and code review tool regardless of configuration. When you share code on GitHub, in Slack, or in a terminal, space-indented code always looks exactly as intended.

How the Converter Works

The Indent Converter processes each line of your code and looks at the leading whitespace only. For tabs-to-spaces conversion, each leading tab character is replaced by the specified number of spaces. For spaces-to-tabs conversion, leading groups of N spaces are replaced by a single tab. Non-leading whitespace - spaces inside strings, between tokens, in comments - is left completely unchanged. This means the conversion is safe for code in any language and will not alter your logic or string values.

Tips, Edge Cases, or Limitations

The Indent Converter is a simple tool that is easy to use and does not have many limitations. However, it only processes the leading whitespace of each line. Non-leading whitespace, such as spaces inside strings, between tokens, and in comments, is left unchanged. This means the tool is safe to use with any code.

Quick reference

Example walk-through

function example() {
    console.log("Tab\tconverted");
}

function example() {
    console.log("Tab    converted");
}