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Replace Smart Quotes

Convert curly smart quotes and long dashes to straight ASCII quotes and hyphens, or curl them back. Fixes copy-pasted text. 100% in-browser.

What is the Replace Smart Quotes?

Replace Smart Quotes converts the curly “smart” quotes, apostrophes and long dashes that word processors insert into plain straight ASCII equivalents — straight double quotes, straight apostrophes and simple hyphens.

  • Straightens curly quotes, apostrophes and em/en dashes
  • Optional reverse mode to add typographic quotes
  • Fixes text copied from Word and the web
  • Live preview with copy and download
  • Client-side only — nothing is uploaded

How to use the Replace Smart Quotes

  1. 1

    Paste your text into the input box.

  2. 2

    Choose the direction — straighten smart quotes or curl straight quotes.

  3. 3

    See the converted text update instantly.

  4. 4

    Copy or download the cleaned-up result.

About the Replace Smart Quotes

Replace Smart Quotes converts the curly “smart” quotes, apostrophes and long dashes that word processors insert into plain straight ASCII equivalents — straight double quotes, straight apostrophes and simple hyphens. It cleans up text pasted from Word, Google Docs or the web so it works safely in code and data.

It is essential for developers, so smart quotes do not break strings or JSON, and for anyone who needs clean, portable plain text. You can also run it in reverse to turn straight quotes into typographic curly quotes for polished writing.

All conversion happens locally in your browser, so your text is never uploaded. Your content stays private and the tool works offline whenever you need to fix or format quotes.

Frequently asked questions

Why do smart quotes cause problems in code?

Curly quotes are different Unicode characters from straight quotes, so they break string literals, JSON and CSV that expect plain ASCII quotes.

What characters does it convert?

It converts curly single and double quotes, the typographic apostrophe, and em and en dashes into straight quotes and simple hyphens.

Can it add curly quotes instead?

Yes. Switch to reverse mode and the tool turns straight quotes and dashes into their typographic curly equivalents for polished prose.

Is my text uploaded?

No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser, so your text stays private and works offline.

Guides for Replace Smart Quotes

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