Add Line Numbers to Every Line

How to use the Add Line Numbers

1. Paste your list or document into the box — or press Load sample to number the example recipe steps.
2. Set Start at — 1 for a fresh list, or the next number when you are continuing one.
3. Choose Zero padding if the numbers should align (001, 002…), and pick the separator style that fits your document.
4. Leave Skip empty lines ticked so blanks pass through unnumbered, or untick it to number every physical line.
5. Copy the numbered result, or download it as a text file.

About this tool

Numbered lines make documents referable: “see line 12” beats “see the bit near the middle”. Recipe steps, meeting agendas, code listings, legal exhibits and instructions all read better numbered — and hand-numbering a long list is exactly the kind of job that invites a mistake at line 87. Three option groups cover the common conventions. Start at sets the first number — 1 for a fresh list, 0 if your convention starts there, or any continuation point up to 99,999. Zero padding fixes the width: pad to three digits and 7 prints as 007, so numbers align in monospace text and file lists sort sensibly. The separator sits between number and text: “. ” for documents, “) ” for lists, “: ” for logs, and a real tab when the result is headed for a spreadsheet. Skip empty lines is on by default, and it does the considerate thing: a blank line passes through blank and unnumbered, and the count does not advance on it — numbering belongs to content. Untick it and every physical line, blank or not, takes the next number, which is what you want when the numbers must match another system’s line positions. The numbering updates live as you type or change an option, on lists of any practical length. Everything runs in your browser — documents, agendas and exhibits are never uploaded anywhere. If your list also needs putting in order, sort it first with Sort Lines, then number the result.

Worked example

Here is the sample recipe that comes with the tool, numbered with the default settings (start at 1, no padding, “. ” separator, blank lines skipped): You paste

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Mix the flour and sugar
Fold in the eggs one at a time
Bake for twenty five minutes

You get

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Mix the flour and sugar
3. Fold in the eggs one at a time
4. Bake for twenty five minutes

Four steps in, four numbered steps out. The sample has no blank lines, so the skip option had nothing to skip; and if you set Zero padding to 3 digits, the same recipe comes back as 001. to 004. — ready to align inside a monospace document.

Features

• Start anywhere: begin at 0, 1, or any continuation number up to 99,999.
• Zero padding to 2, 3 or 4 digits, so numbers align in columns and filenames sort correctly.
• Five separators: dot, bracket, dash, colon or a real tab for spreadsheet pastes.
• Blank lines skipped by default — passed through empty, with no number spent on them.
• Instant numbering as you type or change an option, on lists of any practical length.
• Private by design: numbering happens in your browser; your documents are never uploaded.