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Guide

How to Convert Text Into a List (Comma, Line, or Custom Delimited)

See how to split a block of text into a structured list and format it for spreadsheets, code and display.

Open the Text to List

A text-to-list tool splits a block of text into individual items using a delimiter you choose — commas, spaces, line breaks, or a custom character — and can number, quote, or sort the result.

Common delimiters

  • Comma — turns "a, b, c" into separate items.
  • New line — splits a paragraph block into line items.
  • Space — splits a sentence into words.
  • Custom — any character or string you specify (e.g. semicolon, pipe).

Formatting options

Beyond splitting, the tool can wrap each item in quotes (handy for code or SQL), number them sequentially, trim whitespace, deduplicate, and rejoin with a different delimiter — for example, turning a comma list into a bulleted line list.

How to convert text to a list

  1. Paste your text.
  2. Choose the input delimiter.
  3. Pick any formatting (numbering, quotes, dedupe).
  4. Copy the resulting list.

Examples

The comma-separated "apple, banana, cherry" can become a numbered list: 1. apple, 2. banana, 3. cherry. Or a quoted, comma-joined string: "apple","banana","cherry" — ready to paste into a SQL IN clause.

When text-to-list is useful

  • Preparing data for spreadsheets, CSVs, or databases.
  • Building arrays or lists for code.
  • Converting a paragraph into a bullet list for slides.
  • Reformatting exported data for a different tool.

Put it into practice

Use the Text to List right now — free, in your browser, no sign-up required.

Try the Text to List

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