Add Line Numbers to Text

How to number lines

1. Paste your text into the box, or click Open file to load a plain-text file. Example loads a short recipe to try the options on.
2. Leave Action on Add numbers and pick a Format: 1 text, 1. text (the default), 1) text, [1] text, 1: text or 1 (tab) text.
3. Set Start at and Step if you don’t want 1, 2, 3. Tick Pad with zeros for 01, 02, 03 and Skip empty lines to leave blank lines unnumbered.
4. The result updates as you type. Click Copy, or Download .txt to save it. Use as input moves the result into the box so you can run another tool on it.

The options

The 1 (tab) text format puts a tab character between the number and the line. Spreadsheets normally split tab-separated text into columns when you paste it, so each line fills two cells: the number and the text.

How lines are counted

• A line ends at a line break. Windows (\r\n), old Mac (\r) and Unix (\n) line breaks are all recognized. The result always uses \n.
• Long lines that wrap on screen are still one line. A paragraph pasted from a word processor is one line until it contains a line break, however long it looks in the box.
• Blank lines get a number unless you skip them. With Skip empty lines off, a blank line becomes just 4. . With it on, a line counts as empty if it is empty or holds only spaces or tabs, and those spaces are kept as they were.
• A line break at the very end is kept, not numbered. a, b followed by a final line break gives 1. a, 2. b and the same final line break, so text copied from a file that ends with a newline does not get an extra empty number.
• The text of each line is not touched. Indentation, tabs, emoji and accented letters stay exactly as they were; the number is only added in front.
• Padding is based on the widest number. The tool works out the first and the last number it will write (start + step × (lines − 1), counting only numbered lines when blank lines are skipped) and pads every number to the larger digit count. Start 10 with Step 10 on three lines gives 10, 20, 30, so nothing needs padding. For negative numbers the zeros go after the minus sign: Start at -1 on 200 lines gives -001., 000., 001. and so on.
• Decimals follow the start and step. Numbers get as many decimal places as Start at or Step has, without rounding noise: Step 0.1 gives 1.0., 1.1., 1.2..

Worked examples

The built-in example with the default 1. text format, first with Skip empty lines off, then on:

1. Preheat the oven               1. Preheat the oven
2. Mix the flour and sugar        2. Mix the flour and sugar
3. Add the eggs                   3. Add the eggs
4.
5. Bake for 25 minutes            4. Bake for 25 minutes

Twelve lines with Pad with zeros ticked:

Other settings on the lines a, b, c:

Code with the 1 text format keeps its indentation after the number:

1 function hi() {
2   return 1;
3 }

Removing line numbers

With Action set to Remove numbers, the tool removes a number at the start of each line, together with the one space or tab that follows it. It recognizes:

Only the single space or tab after the number is removed, so indentation is kept: code numbered with the 1 text format comes back as it was.

1 function hi() {           function hi() {
2   return 1;                 return 1;
3 }                         }

A bare number (the 1 text and 1 (tab) text formats) needs at least two numbered lines in sequence. If one line in the list has another format, such as 5 epsilon among 1. alpha and [4] delta, the bare numbers stay, and a single line such as 1 one is left as it is. Numbers with a minus sign or decimals, which Add numbers writes with a negative or decimal start or step, are removed too: -1. a, 0. b, 1. c becomes a, b, c, and 1.0. a, 1.5. b, 2.0. c becomes a, b, c. Bare decimal numbers must all have the same number of decimals and form a sequence, so 3.5 apples followed by 2 pears is left alone. Text numbered here on two or more lines, with any start, step, format or zero padding, comes back exactly as it was.

Only one number is removed per line: 1. 2. double becomes 2. double.

When numbered lines help

• Referring to lines in a review. Number a draft, a contract clause list or a transcript so comments can say “see line 14”.
• Sharing code in a chat or email where there is no editor gutter, so others can point to a line. The tab format lines the code up in a column.
• Step-by-step instructions such as recipes or setup guides, using 1. or 1) , with blank lines skipped between sections.
• Lists for spreadsheets. Use the tab format to get a numbered ID column next to the text when pasting into a sheet.
• Ordered lists after sorting. Sort the lines first, or remove duplicate lines, then number the final list.
• Cleaning up text copied from a numbered source. Remove numbers turns a numbered list back into plain lines, ready to re-sort or join with commas.

This tool vs line numbers in Microsoft Word

Word can show line numbers on a document: on the Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, select Line Numbers and choose Continuous, Restart Each Page or Restart Each Section. Line Numbering Options sets other intervals. By default Word does not number lines in tables, footnotes, endnotes, text boxes, headers and footers, and it counts a whole table or figure as one line.

Word’s numbers belong to the document layout. This tool writes the numbers into the text itself, one per line break, so they survive copying into an email, a chat, a plain-text file or a spreadsheet. Use Word’s feature for legal or manuscript pages that must be cited by printed line, and this tool when the numbers need to travel with the text.

Questions