Tab to Space Converter
Replace every tab character in your text with a fixed number of spaces. Runs entirely in your browser.
Input
Number of spaces to replace each tab character with.
Output
Guides
Replace every tab character in a block of text or code with a fixed number of spaces. Useful when a style guide, linter, or collaborator requires space-based indentation instead of tabs.
How to use it
- Paste your text or code into the input box.
- Set Tab Size — the number of spaces each tab becomes (1–8, default 4).
- Copy or download the converted result.
Only actual tab characters (\t) are affected — existing spaces are left untouched.
Which tab size should I use?
There's no universal answer — it depends on your project's or language's convention. 2 spaces is common in JavaScript/TypeScript and Ruby; 4 is common in Python and Java; 8 shows up in older C/Unix code. Match whatever your codebase's .editorconfig or style guide already specifies.
Privacy
Everything runs entirely in your browser. Your text is never uploaded to a server.
Use it from code
From 3 credits per callREST API
curl -X POST https://api.iotools.cloud/v1/tool/tab-to-space-converter \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"originalText": "function example() {\n\tconst x = 1;\n\treturn x;\n}",
"tabSize": "4"
}'Swap in your own key from your account. The tool's fields are the body — no wrapper.
Ask an AI agent
Use the IOTools `tab-to-space-converter` tool (Tab to Space Converter) on this input:
YOUR_INPUT_HEREPaste this at any agent connected to the IOTools MCP server, then add your input.