Unstructured Text
Remove Non-ASCII Characters
Make text safe for older systems by keeping only the 128 basic ASCII characters.
When to use it
Typical uses: Preparing names and addresses for systems that only accept ASCII; Cleaning CSV files before importing them into legacy software; Removing emoji and smart quotes from code, configuration files or SMS messages.
In a pipeline
Text InputRemove Non-ASCII CharactersText Output
Settings
| Setting | Type | Required | Default or hint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text column | select | — | Text |
| Convert accented letters (é → e) instead of removing them | checkbox | — | true |
| Generate New Column | checkbox | — | false |
| New Column Name | text | — | Default: <column> Result |
| Insert After | select | — | After the column |
| When a value cannot be converted | select | — | stop |
Example
Remove Non-ASCII Characters: an example
| Text |
|---|
| Crème brûlée costs €5 — “delicious” 😋 |
| Text |
|---|
| Creme brulee costs 5 delicious |
Worth knowing
- Why were my curly quotes removed? Curly quotes (“ ” ‘ ’) are not part of ASCII. If you need straight quotes instead, replace them first with Find and Replace.
- Does it work for non-Latin languages? Characters from scripts such as Chinese, Arabic or Hindi are outside ASCII and are removed. The tool is best for mostly-English text.
- Is the euro sign ASCII? No. Symbols such as €, £ and © are outside ASCII and are removed.
- Works on any text column, not only Text Input's: pick it under Text column. Tick Generate New Column to keep the original next to the result.