Split any text into multiple side-by-side columns in plain monospaced format — for newsletters, scripts, and layouts.
Editing and transforming text manually is tedious and error-prone. Text Columns automates the process so you can split any text into multiple side-by-side columns in plain monospaced format — for newsletters, scripts, and layouts in one click. It works with any length of text, from a single sentence to thousands of lines, and runs entirely in your browser for complete privacy.
Multi-column plain text is used in several practical contexts: Newsletters — older email systems and terminal newsletters use ASCII column layouts. Scripts — screenplay software formats dialogue in columns (character, dialogue, action side by side). Comparison documents — legal, technical, or academic documents that show parallel versions of text. Data display — database results and log outputs in terminals. Print layout — when exporting to fixed-width print where HTML rendering isn't available, like receipts, tickets, or legal filings.
In traditional print typography, newspaper layout flows text continuously across columns — text begins in column 1, fills it, then overflows into column 2, etc. This allows maximum density. Magazine layout treats each column more independently, often with distinct articles per column, more white space, and design elements (pull quotes, images) breaking the grid. For plain text output, this tool uses the newspaper model: text is distributed evenly across columns so each column has approximately the same height, creating the familiar side-by-side appearance.
In proportional fonts (like Arial or Times New Roman), each character has a different width — "i" is narrower than "m." This means you can't predict how many characters will fill a line, so alignment based on character count breaks down. Fixed-width (monospaced) fonts like Courier, Consolas, or JetBrains Mono give every character exactly the same width. This means 40 characters always equals 40 character-widths, allowing predictable columnar alignment using spaces as padding. That's why code editors, terminals, and text-art all rely on monospaced fonts.