Smart Quotes to Straight Quotes Converter
Convert curly smart quotes to straight ASCII quotes so code, JSON, CSV and config files stop breaking, or turn straight quotes into typographic quotes. Free.
Characters converted: 0
Curly quotes versus straight quotes
Typographers prefer curly quotes: an opening “ and a closing ”, and the same for single quotes and apostrophes. Word processors, email clients and phone keyboards insert them automatically as you type, and AI assistants often produce them too. They look better in print. The problem is that computers do not treat them as quotes at all. A compiler, a JSON parser, a SQL engine, a shell or a CSV importer only understands the two ASCII characters " and '. Paste a snippet from a document into an editor and the string never closes, the key is undefined, or the import silently puts the whole line in one field.
Typical cases
- Code from a document or chat. A configuration example copied from an email fails with unexpected token because the quotes are U+201C rather than U+0022.
- JSON and YAML. A single curly quote in a key or value makes the whole file invalid.
- CSV imports. Quoted fields only work with straight double quotes; curly ones become part of the value and break the column count when a comma follows.
- Search and matching. A search for
don'tmisses everydon’t, and the two look identical on screen. - Passwords and tokens. An apostrophe or quote in a pasted secret may have been silently curled by the app you copied it from.
Going the other way
Sometimes you have plain text and want it typeset. Switch to Straight to smart and each quote is turned into the correct opening or closing character based on what comes before it, with apostrophes inside words handled as closing single quotes. That is the same rule word processors apply, done in one pass on text that was typed somewhere without auto-correction.
Checking the result
The counter under the output reports how many characters were swapped, broken down by type. If it says zero and your code still fails, the problem is something else: a non-breaking space inside a command, an invisible zero-width character, or an em dash where a double hyphen was meant. Tick also convert other typographic characters to catch the first and last of those in the same pass.
The converter changes only the characters it lists; spacing, line breaks and everything else stay as they were. If the same text also carries em dashes, invisible characters or markdown, the AI Text Cleaner fixes all of it together.
Frequently asked questions
Why do smart quotes break my code or JSON?
Programming languages, JSON parsers and shells only recognise the ASCII quote characters (U+0022 and U+0027). Curly quotes are different code points, so a string wrapped in them is a syntax error, an unterminated string, or an unexpected token. Word, Outlook, Google Docs, Apple Notes and many chat apps insert curly quotes automatically, which is why code copied from a document so often refuses to run.
Which characters are converted to straight quotes?
Left and right double quotes, low-9 and reversed double quotes, guillemets, double primes and CJK corner quotes become the ASCII double quote. Left and right single quotes, low-9 single quotes, single guillemets, primes and the modifier apostrophe become the ASCII apostrophe.
How does the reverse direction decide between opening and closing quotes?
A quote at the start of the text or after a space, opening bracket or dash becomes an opening quote; every other quote becomes a closing quote. That also turns apostrophes inside words like don't into the correct right single quotation mark.
Can it also fix em dashes and ellipses?
Yes. Tick also convert other typographic characters and em dashes, en dashes, ellipses, non-breaking spaces, bullets and arrows are replaced with their ASCII equivalents as well. Leave it off if you only want the quotes touched.
Does it change anything inside the text other than quotes?
No. Line breaks, spacing and every other character are preserved exactly. Only the characters listed above are swapped, one for one, and the counter shows how many were changed.
Last updated 2026-09-15. Everything on this page runs in your browser. Nothing you type or upload leaves your device.