Developer Tools
Format INI Files
Transform pasted text with the ini formatter and copy the cleaned output.
Direct Answer
Use the INI Formatter when a config file with bracketed sections and key-value pairs has inconsistent spacing or was hand-edited into a mess over time. It aligns keys, values, and section headers for readability without adding features INI does not natively support.
Why INI Files Behave Differently Across Tools
INI has no official specification, so every parser makes its own decisions about comments, case sensitivity, duplicate sections, and nested structure.
- Some parsers treat a semicolon as the comment marker, others use a hash character, and some accept both.
- Key case sensitivity is parser-dependent; some implementations lowercase keys by default, others preserve case exactly.
- There is no standard array or list syntax, so conventions like repeated keys or numbered keys vary by application.
- Duplicate section headers are merged by some parsers and fully overwritten by others.
What Formatting Can and Cannot Fix
Because INI is a loose convention rather than a strict standard, formatting has real limits.
- Formatting normalizes spacing around the equals sign and around section headers.
- It cannot tell you whether your target parser expects a semicolon or a hash for comments.
- It will not add array or nesting support that the format does not natively have.
- Always test a formatted INI file against the actual application that reads it.
How to Use Ini Formatter
- Paste or type your content into the input box.
- The transformed result appears instantly in the result panel below.
- Click Copy result to copy the output to your clipboard.
- Download .txt saves the transformed text as a file.
- Reset clears everything and lets you start over.
Reference
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Transform pasted text into a cleaner or different format. |
| Input | Text, lines, lists, or copied content. |
| Result | Transformed text ready to copy or download. |
| Best for | Cleanup, formatting, list preparation, and copy-paste workflows. |
| Category | Developer Tools |
| Works on | Desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers |
Useful Related Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some INI parsers use a semicolon for comments and others use a hash?
INI has no official standard, so different implementations picked different comment characters over the decades; classic Windows-style INI traditionally uses a semicolon, while many modern parsers, including Python's configparser, also accept a hash. If your target application only supports one, using the other silently breaks that line instead of raising a clear error.
Are INI keys case-sensitive?
It depends entirely on the parser reading the file; some implementations lowercase every key internally so two differently-cased versions of the same name collide, while others preserve case exactly and treat them as distinct keys. Because this behavior is not standardized, do not rely on case to distinguish two keys if the file needs to work across different tools.
Can I have duplicate section headers in one file?
Some parsers merge duplicate section headers, appending later keys into the earlier section's contents, while others treat a repeated header as fully replacing the previous section. Since this is not standardized behavior, avoid relying on duplicate section headers at all if the file needs to be read correctly by more than one tool.
Does INI support arrays or lists of values?
Not natively; there is no bracket array syntax the way TOML or YAML has one. Conventions vary by application: some repeat the same key multiple times to represent a list, others accept a single comma-separated value in one key, and some number the keys, such as item1, item2, and so on.
Does INI support nested sections?
There is no native nesting in the format itself; some parsers simulate it with dotted section names, such as a parent and child joined by a period, but this is a convention specific to that parser rather than a spec feature, and it will not be recognized by every reader.
Why does a value containing a semicolon get cut off?
If your parser treats a semicolon as an inline comment marker, everything after an unescaped semicolon on that line, even text you intended as part of the value, gets stripped during parsing. Quote the value if your parser supports quoting, or check whether it offers an escape sequence for a literal semicolon.
Should there be spaces around the equals sign?
Both a tight key-value pair with no spaces and one with spaces around the equals sign are typically accepted by common parsers, and formatting usually normalizes this spacing for consistency across the file. A small number of strict parsers are sensitive to exact spacing, so verify against your specific target application if you hit unexpected errors.
What section do keys before any section header belong to?
Keys that appear before any bracketed section header usually fall into an implicit default or unnamed section in parsers that support this, but not every parser allows keys outside of a section at all; some require every key to sit under an explicit header.