Does Normalize Dashes upload my file or text to Tool-You servers?

No. Normalize Dashes runs in this browser tab. Files stay on the device. Limit note: Non-empty text.

Should I use Replace Smart Quotes instead of Normalize Dashes?

Use Normalize Dashes when you need Convert en/em dashes to hyphen. Use Replace Smart Quotes when you need Straighten curly quotes. They share a category (Text) but not the same job.

Normalize Dashes

Convert en/em dashes to hyphen.

Replaces en/em/minus dashes with ASCII hyphen. Unlike Replace Smart Quotes this targets dashes. Empty fails.

What Normalize Dashes does

Replaces en/em/minus dashes with ASCII hyphen. Unlike Replace Smart Quotes this targets dashes. Empty fails.

Practical limit for Normalize Dashes: Non-empty text. That is why output can differ from heavy desktop Text software. Read the tool-specific note again: Replaces en/em/minus dashes with ASCII hyphen. Unlike Replace Smart Quotes this targets dashes. Empty fails.

How to use Normalize Dashes

Keep this tab on Normalize Dashes (/text/normalize-dashes). Pasting into the wrong Text tool (for example Replace Smart Quotes) changes the job.
Paste or type the input Normalize Dashes expects. Path hint: text · normalize dashes. Convert en/em dashes to hyphen.
Apply the Normalize Dashes action only. Find and Replace is a different transform (Replace literal text.). Replaces en/em/minus dashes with ASCII hyphen. Unlike Replace Smart Quotes this targets dashes. Empty fails.
Copy the output of Normalize Dashes if you need it elsewhere. Size/complexity still follows: Non-empty text.
If the text job is actually Straighten curly quotes., leave Normalize Dashes and open Replace Smart Quotes.

When not to use Normalize Dashes

Skip Normalize Dashes when a neighbor tool matches better — start with Replace Smart Quotes or Find and Replace — or when the description already warns the job will fail. In the tool’s own words: Replaces en/em/minus dashes with ASCII hyphen. Unlike Replace Smart Quotes this targets dashes. Empty fails.

Questions about Normalize Dashes

What does Normalize Dashes do that other Text pages on this site do not?: Replaces en/em/minus dashes with ASCII hyphen. Unlike Replace Smart Quotes this targets dashes. Empty fails. Short version: Convert en/em dashes to hyphen.
Does Normalize Dashes upload my file or text to Tool-You servers?: No. Normalize Dashes runs in this browser tab. Files stay on the device. Limit note: Non-empty text.
Should I use Replace Smart Quotes instead of Normalize Dashes?: Use Normalize Dashes when you need Convert en/em dashes to hyphen. Use Replace Smart Quotes when you need Straighten curly quotes. They share a category (Text) but not the same job.
What are the limits of Normalize Dashes?: Non-empty text. Also: Replaces en/em/minus dashes with ASCII hyphen. Unlike Replace Smart Quotes this targets dashes. Empty fails.