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OS Authority

Alphabetizer for text and lists

Put names, labels or filenames in order without losing your original text. Preview the sorted list, choose how duplicates match, and copy or save the result.

Your list and imported text are processed in this browser. Their contents are never uploaded, stored by us or included in analytics.

How it works

  1. Paste your list with one entry per line, or choose a UTF-8 TXT file.
  2. Choose A–Z or Z–A and turn natural number sorting on or off.
  3. Set blank-line and duplicate rules, then check the preview and removed-line count.
  4. Copy or download the preview. Apply it to the input if you want to edit it; Undo restores the text from before your last apply or file import.

Alphabetical order versus natural number order

Natural number sorting places item2 before item10. With that option off, alphabetical sorting places item10 before item2. Letter order follows your browser's English collation rules, including accented letters. Spaces stay in each line and can affect its position. This is a line sorter, not a surname, citation or bibliography parser.

Choose duplicate rules separately from sort rules

Apple and apple stay as 2 entries when duplicate matching distinguishes capitals, even if sorting ignores capitals. Turn off that duplicate option to keep only the first matching entry. Ignoring surrounding spaces also matches Apple with a line containing spaces around Apple. Matching does not rewrite the retained line: the spelling, capitals and spacing of its first occurrence stay intact.

Keep a source copy and review the preview

Sorting changes the preview first. Apply replaces the editable input with that preview, and Undo restores the text from immediately before the last apply or successful file import. Undo holds 1 previous version, not an editing history. Blank lines are kept unless you choose to remove them. Input and line limits are shown above the input; oversize text produces an error instead of a partial result.

Frequently asked questions

Can it sort numbers inside filenames?

Yes. Natural number sorting orders file2 before file10. Turn it off if you need lexical order. Negative numbers, decimal separators and version numbers are text labels here, not a full numeric or version parser.

Will it change capitalization or spaces?

No. Sort settings choose the order, and duplicate settings choose which original lines to keep. They do not change the surviving line's spelling or spaces.

What happens to empty lines?

They remain in the result unless Remove blank lines is selected. That option also removes lines containing only whitespace.

How are accented words sorted?

The tool uses the browser's English locale collation. Accents are considered, while capitalization is considered only when the corresponding sort option is selected. Exact ordering can differ slightly between browser locale-data versions.

Which text files can I import?

Use a .txt file encoded as UTF-8. Windows, Unix and classic Mac line endings are recognized. Unsupported encoding or excessive input produces an error and leaves your current input intact.

Last reviewed: October 11, 2026

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