Use BOM Remover when already decoded text contains one unwanted U+FEFF at its very beginning. Paste the text, select Remove leading BOM, read the summary, and copy the reviewed output. The tool removes at most that first code unit. It does not remove every invisible character, inspect raw file bytes or determine the file's encoding.
This is a text-cleanup task, not a guide to uninstalling Go or removing software. If a program rejects a first field name or a string that looks correct, first establish that the unwanted character is actually a leading U+FEFF. A message about encoding or parsing alone is not enough to identify the cause.
Check whether removal is appropriate
A byte order mark can identify an encoded text stream. By the time text is pasted into a browser field, a decoder has already turned the bytes into characters. This tool sees those characters; it cannot infer whether the original bytes were UTF-8, UTF-16 or UTF-32.
Some receiving formats expect a BOM, while others do not. Confirm the receiving system's requirements before removing it. The Unicode BOM FAQ explains that requirements depend on the protocol and that a non-initial U+FEFF can be content. Keep the original instead of treating every occurrence as disposable.
Remove the first BOM and verify the result
- Paste the already decoded text into Decoded text. The input limit is 200,000 UTF-16 code units. This is a string-length limit, not a byte limit; some characters use more than one code unit.
- Select Remove leading BOM. Read either Removed one leading U+FEFF or the no-leading-BOM message. The summary also reports the output length.
- Review the complete output, including the first field, spaces and line endings. Copy output only after confirming that the intended change occurred. If copying fails, select and copy the read-only output manually.
- Check the copied text in the receiving application before replacing the source. If it still fails, investigate the actual error rather than repeatedly removing characters.
What one operation changes
In this table, [BOM] is visible notation for one U+FEFF character. The bracketed word is not the character to paste.
| Input notation | Output notation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| [BOM]name | name | One leading character removed. |
| name | name | No leading U+FEFF; unchanged. |
| [BOM][BOM]name | [BOM]name | Only the first occurrence removed. |
| name[BOM]value | name[BOM]value | Internal occurrence preserved. |
| [BOM] only | Empty string | A valid empty output, with removal reported. |
| Empty string | Empty string | A valid unchanged output. |
Running the tool twice on a doubled leading sequence would remove the second character on the second run. That is a new operation, not proof that both characters should be deleted. Review the first result before repeating it.
Keep the scope narrow
The operation checks the first UTF-16 code unit and slices off one unit only when it is U+FEFF. Within the string received by the processing function, it does not trim whitespace, normalize Unicode or rewrite later content. A textarea, clipboard or receiving editor can have its own text-handling behavior, so this is not a byte-for-byte file-preservation workflow.
Input and output each have a 200,000-code-unit budget. An oversized input produces an error instead of a shortened result. Editing or clearing the input clears the previous result and copy state; process the current text again before copying.
When this is the wrong repair
Use an appropriate decoder or editor when you need to inspect raw bytes, convert file encodings, repair mojibake or apply a file-format-specific BOM policy. BOM Remover cannot establish the original encoding or remove arbitrary zero-width characters. If the leading U+FEFF is required, leave it in place.