Normalize Unicode Text
Normalize Unicode to NFC form in one click — perfect for fixing string comparison bugs and hidden codepoints.
What is Normalize Unicode Text?
Two strings look identical but fail equality checks because one uses composed characters and the other decomposed. Hidden zero-width joiners hide inside pasted PDF text.
Paste any messy Unicode and get a clean NFC-normalized version back.
If you're debugging form input, you fix 'café != café' bugs. If you're indexing for search, you keep matches consistent. If you're prepping translation memory, you ensure CAT tools find segments reliably.
How to use Normalize Unicode Text
Four steps. No setup, no signup.
Step 1
Paste your messy multilingual text
Step 2
See the NFC-normalized version
Step 3
Compare character counts to spot decomposed input
Step 4
Hit Copy and use the canonical form
Example
Decomposed Unicode normalized to clean NFC.
Input
café (decomposed: café)
Output
café (NFC: 4 codepoints)
Why Normalize Unicode Text is useful
- ✓
Fix 'café != café' string equality bugs in JS, Python and Go.
- ✓
Keep search and indexing matches consistent.
- ✓
NFKC mode normalizes full-width CJK to ASCII (０１２ → 012).
- ✓
Properly composed ZWJ emoji sequences are preserved.
Common questions
NFC vs NFD?
NFC composes accent+letter into one codepoint. NFD splits them into combining marks.
Tip: NFC is the web/database default. NFD is for macOS filesystems.
Will it remove zero-width characters?
It normalizes them but doesn't delete them. Use Remove Special Characters for that.
Tip: Don't strip ZWJ from emoji families.
Why do equal-looking strings fail comparison?
Different Unicode forms. Normalize both to NFC before comparing.
Tip: This is the #1 cause of 'café' bugs in JS and Python.
Does it convert full-width CJK?
NFC doesn't, NFKC does. This tool defaults to NFC.
Tip: Use NFKC mode to convert ０１２ to 012.
Last reviewed: April 2026 · Free, browser-based, no signup.
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