Remove Lines|Options
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Mode
Input
e.g. Line 1 Line 2 Line 3
Output
e.g. Line 1 Line 2 Line 3
Input lines: 0
Output lines: 0
Removed: 0

Remove Lines Online — Delete Lines by Pattern, Regex, or Blank Line Rules

Need to strip out specific lines from a log file, remove debug statements from code, or clean up blank lines from copy-pasted text? This free tool removes lines by text pattern, regular expression, or blank line rules — all instantly in your browser.

How to Use This Tool

  1. Paste your text — Copy text containing lines you want to remove and paste it into the input panel.
  2. Choose a removal mode — Pick from five modes: remove empty lines, collapse blank lines, remove whitespace-only lines, remove lines containing specific text, or remove lines matching a regex pattern.
  3. Enter a pattern (if applicable) — For "Contains text" or "Regex match" modes, type your search pattern. Toggle case sensitivity or invert the match to keep only matching lines instead.
  4. Review and copy — The filtered text appears instantly in the output panel. A match counter shows how many lines matched. Click Copy to grab the result.
  5. Chain with other tools — With Auto-fill enabled, your output automatically carries over when you open another tool from the sidebar. Use the back and forward arrows to undo navigation and restore your previous tool state including all options.

Features

Remove Lines by Text Pattern

Delete any line containing a specific word or phrase. Great for filtering out TODO comments, debug statements, or unwanted labels.

Remove Lines by Regex

Use full regular expression syntax to match complex patterns — timestamps, IP addresses, log levels, or any structured text.

Delete All Empty Lines

Removes every line that contains no content, producing tightly packed text with no gaps.

Collapse Blank Lines

Reduces runs of multiple consecutive blank lines to a single blank line, preserving paragraph separation.

Remove Whitespace-Only Lines

Detects lines that appear empty but contain invisible spaces or tabs, and removes them. A "whitespace-only" line looks blank but has hidden space or tab characters — unlike a truly empty line which has zero characters.

Invert Match

Flip the logic to keep only lines that match your pattern and remove everything else — useful for extracting specific data from large files.

Case Sensitivity Toggle

Choose between case-sensitive and case-insensitive matching for both text and regex modes.

Live Match Counter

See exactly how many lines match your pattern in real time before committing to the removal.

Auto-fill Pipeline

Enable Auto-fill to carry your output to the next tool. Navigate back and forward with full state restoration — input, output, and all settings are preserved.

Real-World Use Cases

1

Remove DEBUG lines from log output

Filter out DEBUG-level entries from application logs to focus on warnings and errors, using pattern matching to target specific log levels.

2

Strip comment lines from config files

Remove lines starting with # or // from configuration files to see only the active settings.

3

Clean up blank lines in pasted content

Text copied from web pages or documents often has excessive blank lines. Remove all or collapse them to single blank lines for cleaner formatting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove lines containing a specific word?
Select the "Contains text" mode, type the word or phrase you want to match, and all lines containing that text will be removed from the output. Toggle "Case sensitive" if you need exact case matching.
Can I use regular expressions to match lines?
Yes. Select "Regex match" mode and enter any valid JavaScript regular expression. For example, ^DEBUG: removes lines starting with "DEBUG:", and \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} removes lines containing dates in YYYY-MM-DD format.
What is the difference between "Empty lines" and "Whitespace-only"?
An empty line has zero characters between newlines — it is completely blank. A whitespace-only line looks blank but contains invisible spaces or tabs. "Empty lines" mode removes only truly empty lines and leaves whitespace-only lines alone. "Whitespace-only" mode removes lines that contain only spaces or tabs but preserves truly empty lines. To remove both, use "Empty lines" first, then run again with "Whitespace-only".
Can I keep only lines that match instead of removing them?
Yes. Click the "Remove matching" button to toggle it to "Keep matching". This inverts the filter — only lines that match your pattern are kept, and everything else is removed. This is useful for extracting specific entries from logs or data files.
What happens if my regex is invalid?
The tool validates your regex in real time. If the pattern is invalid, you will see an error message below the input field, and the original text is preserved unchanged.
Does it affect lines that do not match?
No. Non-matching lines are preserved exactly as they are, including their original whitespace and formatting. Only lines that match your criteria are removed (or kept, if you invert the match).
Is it useful for cleaning up log files or code?
Absolutely. Common use cases include removing DEBUG or TRACE log lines, stripping comment lines, filtering out timestamps, removing blank lines from code, or extracting only ERROR lines from a large log file.
Is my text private?
Yes. All processing runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device and is never sent to any server.

Related Tools

Find & Replace

Search and replace text with regex support.

Remove Whitespace

Trim spaces, tabs, and collapse multiple spaces.

Remove Duplicate Lines

Delete repeated lines and keep only unique entries.

Extract Emails/URLs

Extract email addresses and URLs from text.

Remove Line Breaks

Join multiple lines into continuous text.

All text processing happens directly in your browser. Your text is never sent to any server, stored, or shared with third parties. This tool is completely private and secure.