Unicode inspector
This Unicode inspector breaks text into code points, the numbers Unicode gives each character, and shows how each one is stored. It helps developers track down invisible characters, look-alike letters and emoji that behave oddly in code or databases.
- Runs in your browser
- Free, no account needed
- Copy or download the result
Result
Example
Aé🙂é
Code points: 5 UTF-16 code units: 6 UTF-8 bytes: 10 1 "A" U+0041 UTF-16 units: 1 UTF-8: 41 2 "é" U+00E9 UTF-16 units: 1 UTF-8: c3 a9 3 "🙂" U+1F642 UTF-16 units: 2 UTF-8: f0 9f 99 82 4 "e" U+0065 UTF-16 units: 1 UTF-8: 65 5 "́" U+0301 UTF-16 units: 1 UTF-8: cc 81
How to use the unicode inspector
- Paste text into the Text to inspect box.
- Set Maximum code points to list, 1 to 1000. The default is 100.
- Press Run to see the totals and one line per code point.
- Copy result or Download the report.
How it works
The top of the result gives totals for code points, UTF-16 code units and UTF-8 bytes.
Each line shows the position, the character in quotes, its U+ code point, its UTF-16 unit count and its UTF-8 bytes in hex.
One visible symbol can be several code points. For example, é can be a single code point or an e followed by a combining accent.
Only code points up to your limit are listed, but the totals always cover the whole text. The limit must be a whole number from 1 to 1000.
Text with an unpaired surrogate (a broken half of an emoji) is rejected. Official character names are not shown.
Everything runs in your browser. Your input is not uploaded or stored.
Questions and answers
Why does one emoji show as several code points?
Many emoji are built from several code points, such as a base emoji plus a skin tone, joined by a zero width joiner (U+200D). The inspector lists each piece on its own line.
How do I find hidden characters in text?
Paste the text and look for code points such as U+200B (zero width space) or U+00A0 (no-break space). Each appears on its own line even though you cannot see it.
What is a UTF-16 code unit?
JavaScript stores text as 16-bit units. Characters above U+FFFF, like most emoji, need two units, which is why a string's length can look too big.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The inspection runs in your browser.