CRLF/LF Line Ending Converter
Convert line endings between CRLF (Windows), LF (Unix/Linux/macOS) and CR (classic Mac) in pasted text or an uploaded file. Detects the input's current line-ending style, including mixed endings, before converting.
Input
Output
Line Ending Stats
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| No data yet | |
More ways to use this tool
REST API
curl -X POST https://api.iotools.cloud/v1/tool/crlf-lf-line-ending-converter \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"originalText": "First line with LF ending\nSecond line with CRLF …",
"convertTo": "lf"
}'Swap in your own key from your account. The tool's fields are the body — no wrapper.
Ask an AI agent
Use the IOTools `crlf-lf-line-ending-converter` tool (CRLF/LF Line Ending Converter) on this input:
YOUR_INPUT_HEREPaste this at any agent connected to the IOTools MCP server, then add your input.
Embed widget
<iframe
src="https://iotools.cloud/embed/crlf-lf-line-ending-converter/"
width="100%" height="520" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" loading="lazy"
title="CRLF/LF Line Ending Converter — iotools.cloud"
sandbox="allow-scripts allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"
allow="clipboard-write"
style="width:100%;border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden"></iframe>
<script src="https://iotools.cloud/embed.js" async></script>Drop this into your own page — free, no key required, just a link back.
| Cost per API/MCP call | From 5 credits |
|---|---|
| Need more credits? | View pricing |
Also available with
Guides
Every text file uses one of three line-ending conventions: Windows writes a carriage return plus a line feed (CRLF, \r\n), Unix, Linux and modern macOS write a single line feed (LF, \n), and classic pre-OS-X Mac used a lone carriage return (CR, \r). Mix them — by editing the same file on Windows and Linux, or pasting from an old export — and tools that expect one convention can misbehave: a shell script fails with a cryptic bad interpreter error, a diff shows every line as changed, or a CSV parser splits rows in the wrong place. This tool detects which line-ending style your text actually uses, flags mixed endings, and converts it to whichever style you need.
How to use it
- Paste your text into the input box, or upload a text file — the file's contents load straight into the same field.
- Choose the target format under Convert To: LF, CRLF, or CR.
- The converted text and a line-ending breakdown update automatically as you type.
- Copy or download the result.
What the stats tell you
The Line Ending Stats table reports:
- CRLF, LF, and CR counts — how many of each line-ending sequence were found in the original text. A CRLF pair (
\r\n) is counted once, not as a CR plus an LF, so the numbers reflect actual line endings rather than raw character counts. - Detected style — the dominant convention in your input. If only one style is present, it's named directly (e.g. "LF"). If more than one style appears — a common sign of a file edited across different operating systems — it reads "Mixed" with the styles that were found.
- Converted to — the format the output was converted to, for confirmation.
Why line endings matter
Line-ending mismatches are a recurring source of "works on my machine" bugs:
- Git diffs can show whole files as changed when only the line endings differ.
- Shell scripts saved with CRLF endings fail to run on Linux/macOS because the shell reads the trailing
\ras part of the command. - Config and CSV parsers that split strictly on
\nleave a stray\rat the end of every field when fed CRLF input.
Converting to a single, consistent line ending before committing or deploying a file avoids all of these.
Which format should I use?
Use LF for anything destined for Linux, macOS, or a Git repository (most .gitattributes setups normalize to LF). Use CRLF for files that specifically need to open correctly in older Windows-only tooling (like Notepad, before Windows 10) or Windows batch scripts. CR is only relevant for legacy classic Mac OS (pre-2001) files — you're unlikely to need it unless you're working with an old archive.
Privacy
Everything runs entirely in your browser. Your text and any uploaded file never leave your device.