Postal / ZIP Code Extractor
Extract postal and ZIP codes from text - free, no signup.
What this tool does
Paste an address list or any text, choose the country format to match, and every postal or ZIP code in that format is found and listed - useful for pulling codes out of a spreadsheet dump, a scraped page, or a document with mixed content.
Matches US ZIP codes (5-digit or ZIP+4), UK postcodes, Canadian postal codes, or Australian postcodes, using each country's real, specific format.
Lets you check for any of the four formats at once when you don't know which country a document uses.
Deduplicates and lets you copy or download the result as a CSV.
Runs a separate, country-specific pattern for each format rather than one general 'postal code' pattern, since UK, Canadian, US and Australian codes have different, non-interchangeable structures.
When a single country is selected, only that country's pattern runs against the text - a UK postcode is never returned while searching for Canadian codes.
How to use it
- Paste your text or address list.
- Choose the country format to match.
- Copy or download the results.
Why use this extractor
Addresses in text hold postal codes that you may need to list or check. Using each country's real format finds them without matching random numbers (mostly).
Why we built it
We built the postal and ZIP code extractor to match each country's real format rather than one loose pattern. Use the date and time extractor and the email extractor alongside it.
Who this tool is for
- Logistics and marketing staff cleaning address lists
- Analysts and researchers
- Anyone pulling codes from text
When to use it
- Listing ZIP or postcodes from an address list.
- Sorting customers by area.
- Validating the format of codes.
- Auditing documents for location data.
Why the country format matters
A UK postcode and a Canadian postal code look similar but are not interchangeable.
UK postcodes and Canadian postal codes both use a letter-digit-letter pattern that can look superficially similar, but they follow different real rules and aren't the same format. Australian postcodes are exactly 4 digits, which - being honest about a real limitation - means they can't be distinguished from any other 4-digit number in the same text without more context; matching 'any' format runs every country's pattern rather than one loose catch-all that would also match things that are neither a genuine UK postcode nor a Canadian one.
There is no universal postal code format
Unlike an IPv4 address, which follows one structure everywhere it is used, a postal code is whatever format the postal authority of a given country decided on, and those decisions have nothing in common with each other. Some countries use pure digits, some mix letters and digits, some use a fixed length, and some vary the length depending on the region - there is no formula that generalises across all of them, in much the same way phone number formats vary by country with no single universal standard.
| Country | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 5 digits, optionally -4 more | 90210 or 10001-1234 |
| United Kingdom | 1-2 letters, digit, optional letter/digit, space, digit, 2 letters | SW1A 1AA |
| Canada | Letter-digit-letter, digit-letter-digit | K1A 0B1 |
| Australia | 4 digits, no other structure | 2000 |
This tool supports these four formats specifically because each has a real, testable pattern. A country whose postal codes are not built into it - Ireland's Eircode, Japan's hyphenated digits, Germany's plain 5-digit code - would need its own dedicated pattern added, not a tweak to an existing one, because there is nothing to generalise from.
What you give it, and what you get back
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | Any text. |
| Format | US, UK, Canada, Australia or all. |
| Output | A de-duplicated list, copy or CSV. |
Issues you may run into
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Any 4-digit number matches Australia | The format has no other structure. | Review the results. |
| Code may not exist | Format is checked, not assignment. | Verify with an official source. |
| A code was missed | It had unusual spacing. | Normalise the text. |
Assumptions and limitations
- Australian postcodes are exactly 4 digits with no other distinguishing structure, so this will also match any other 4-digit number in the text - review results if precision matters.
- This matches the FORMAT of a code, not whether it's a real, currently assigned postal code.
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract ZIP codes from text online for free?
Paste your text, choose United States (ZIP) as the format, and every matching code appears instantly.
Can I check for postal codes from multiple countries at once?
Yes - select 'Any of the above' to match US, UK, Canadian and Australian formats all at once.
Why does the Australian format also match unrelated 4-digit numbers?
Australian postcodes are exactly 4 digits with no other distinguishing pattern, so a plain 4-digit number and a valid postcode look identical in text - this is a real, disclosed limitation of that specific format, not a bug.
Does this verify the code is a real, assigned postal code?
No - it matches the correct FORMAT for the chosen country, not whether that specific code is currently in use.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. Extraction happens entirely in your browser - nothing is sent to a server.
Why doesn't this support my country's postal code format?
Only US, UK, Canadian and Australian formats are built in. Unlike an IPv4 address, there's no single formula that describes a valid postal code worldwide - each country invented its own scheme, so supporting a new one means writing and testing a dedicated pattern for that country specifically, not adjusting one general rule.
Could a UK postcode accidentally match while I'm searching for Canadian codes only?
No. When a specific country is selected, only that country's pattern runs against the text. Selecting a single format is a real filter, not just a label; switch to 'Any of the above' if you want every supported format checked at once.