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List splitter online

Paste a long list — one item per line — and choose how many columns to lay it out across. The result is tab-separated, so pasting it into Excel or Google Sheets automatically creates real columns instead of one block of text.

Your data never leaves this device

The result is tab-separated — paste it into Excel or Google Sheets and the columns form automatically.

Result

Items → columns

This page has no server side at all. The table you paste is parsed by JavaScript inside your own browser, the chart is drawn on a canvas element on your machine, and the export file is assembled locally. Nothing is uploaded, stored or written to any log. You can disconnect from the network after the page has loaded and everything will still work — which is the simplest way to verify the claim yourself.

Facts and limits of this method

"Sequential blocks" A column is filled completely before the next one starts
"Round-robin" Items are dealt out to the columns cyclically, one at a time
Number of columns From 2 to 10 — values outside this range are clamped automatically
Result format Table rows, with columns separated by a tab character
Empty lines in the source list Not counted — only non-empty items are used

When it misleads you

How it is calculated

The list is split into lines, and empty lines are discarded.

The number of columns is clamped to the 2–10 range after entry.

With "sequential blocks", the items are divided into equal consecutive groups, each group becoming its own column. With "round-robin", items are dealt to the columns cyclically: the first item to column one, the second to column two, and so on around and back.

The result is assembled as table rows, with the values on one row separated by a tab character — the standard format that text editors and office applications recognize as a column boundary on paste.

Questions and answers

Why does pasting the result into a plain text editor look like one column with big gaps?

A tab character renders visually as an indent, not a table border, unless the application knows how to turn pasted text into columns. Paste the result into Excel or Google Sheets instead — there the tabs automatically create real columns.

What's the difference between the two distribution methods?

"Sequential blocks" preserves the original order in groups — handy for long alphabetical lists. "Round-robin" interleaves items across rows — the columns end up more evenly matched row by row.

What if there aren't enough items to fill the last row completely?

The unfilled cells in the last row stay empty — that's expected and doesn't interfere with pasting into a spreadsheet.

Is my text sent anywhere?

No, all the processing runs in your browser.

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