Hidden Character Detector
Text copied from AI chatbots, Word, Google Docs, PDFs and web pages often carries hidden characters you cannot see. Paste it here to reveal them by name and Unicode code point, and get a clean copy with them removed.
Where hidden characters come from
- AI chat output: answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other tools can contain zero-width characters or special spaces, whether added on purpose or picked up from the text they learned from.
- Word processors: Word and Google Docs use no-break spaces and soft hyphens for layout, and these come along when you copy.
- Web pages and PDFs: HTML entities such as and PDF text extraction leave no-break spaces, zero-width spaces and direction marks behind.
- Right-to-left text: Arabic and Hebrew content uses direction marks and isolates that are invisible in the final text.
What the detector shows you
For every hidden character found you get its name (for example Zero Width Space), its code point (U+200B), its category and how many times it appears, plus totals at the top. A plain verdict tells you whether the text is clean.
When to clean hidden characters
Clean them before you paste text into code, a spreadsheet formula, a database, a URL, a CMS or an e-book, and before you compare or search text. Leave them in when they carry meaning, such as direction marks in mixed right-to-left text or the joiners inside emoji sequences.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as showing formatting marks in Word?
No. Word’s formatting marks show spaces, tabs and paragraph breaks. This detector finds the Unicode characters that Word itself does not display, such as zero-width spaces and direction marks.
Does cleaning change my visible text?
No. Hidden spaces are replaced with a normal space so words stay separated, and the other hidden characters are deleted. Letters, punctuation and ordinary line breaks stay as they were.
Is it free?
Yes. Unlimited checks, no account. Everything runs in your browser.