linebreaks

Line breaks are the points where text ends one line and a new line begins. They are distinct from paragraph breaks, which indicate the start of a new paragraph. Line breaks can be artificial, inserted by editors or markup, or they can occur naturally as the text wraps to the edge of the display.

In plain text files, line breaks are encoded as control characters. The most common conventions are Unix LF (line feed, U+000A), Windows CRLF (carriage return followed by line feed, U+000D U+000A), and classic Macintosh CR (U+000D). Some environments normalize these to a single representation, a process called end‑of‑line normalization.

Hard line breaks are actual newline characters stored in the text. Soft wrapping is a display feature in many editors where long lines are shown on multiple visual lines without inserting characters. In HTML, line breaks in the source do not automatically render as visible breaks; layout is determined by block elements and, for a single break, by the br element.

Line breaking in typesetting and programming follows different rules. Words may be hyphenated to improve justification in printed text. In programming, newline characters may terminate statements, separate strings, or serve as data delimiters, depending on the language. In text editors, wrapping algorithms decide where to wrap, with or without hyphenation.

Cross‑platform environments must handle the variety of endings consistently. Encoding and normalization affect interoperability, and version control systems may convert line endings automatically. Awareness of the context—plain text, markup, or source code—helps ensure that line breaks preserve readability and structure across editors, viewers, and platforms.

Accessibility considerations include ensuring that line breaks support readable line lengths and logical paragraph structure. Proper handling of line breaks improves navigation for screen readers and users relying on text formatting.