New Line To BR
Add an HTML line-break tag in front of every newline so plain text keeps its line structure when pasted into HTML.
- Runs in your browser
- Free, no sign-up
What this tool gives you
PHP-compatible
Same behaviour as nl2br(): the tag is inserted and the original newline is kept.
HTML or XHTML
Switch between <br> and <br /> with one checkbox.
Live preview
See the converted markup immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the newline kept after the <br>?
That is how PHP nl2br works and it keeps the HTML source readable. Browsers ignore the plain newline, so the rendering is identical.
Should I use <br> or <p>?
Use <br> for line breaks inside one paragraph, such as addresses or poetry. Separate paragraphs belong in their own <p> elements.
Does it escape HTML characters?
No. If the text contains < or &, run it through the HTML Encode tool first, then convert the newlines to <br>.
Does it handle Windows line endings?
Yes. \r\n, \n and \r are all recognised, so text from any operating system converts correctly.