GALAXY OF TOOLS

TEXT SECTOR

Mention Extractor

Pull every @mention out of posts and comments using X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or LinkedIn handle rules.

.txt, .csv, .json, .html and other text files

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter or upload is sent to a server.

Extract @mentions and usernames from any text

This mention extractor lists every @username in a block of text — a comment thread, giveaway replies, a group chat export or a batch of posts — and counts how many times each account was tagged. Pick the platform and the tool applies that platform’s own handle rules: X (Twitter) usernames stop at a full stop and can be at most 15 characters, while Instagram and Threads handles may contain dots and run to 30 characters, so “@john.doe.” comes out correctly either way.

Email addresses are never mistaken for mentions, trailing punctuation is trimmed, @NASA and @nasa are counted as one account, and profile links such as x.com/name, tiktok.com/@name, youtube.com/@name or linkedin.com/in/name can be read as well. Copy the handles with or without @, as profile links, or download a CSV.

The text stays on your device — the extractor runs entirely in your browser.

How to use the Mention Extractor

  1. Paste the posts or comments into “Text containing @mentions”, or press “Open a file” for an exported .txt, .csv, .json or .html file.
  2. Choose “Handle rules”: a specific platform for strict rules, or “Any platform” for mixed text.
  3. Leave “Also read profile links” ticked to include accounts linked as x.com/…, instagram.com/…, tiktok.com/@…, youtube.com/@… or linkedin.com/in/….
  4. Pick the order and how to write each handle — @username, username or a full profile link — and the separator.
  5. Copy the handles or download the CSV, which lists each username, how often it was mentioned, the platform, its profile link and the first line it appears on.

Mention Extractor features

Per-platform rules

X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn each have their own allowed characters and length limits; handles that break them are skipped and counted.

Emails ignored

An @ that follows a letter, digit, dot or hyphen belongs to an email address, so press@example.com never becomes a mention; the number ignored is shown.

Profile links too

Reads profile addresses on all six platforms and leaves out non-profile paths such as x.com/home or instagram.com/p/….

Mention counts

Handles are case-insensitive on these platforms, so @NASA and @nasa are merged, and the table shows how often each account was tagged.

Spreadsheet-safe CSV

Usernames are written without the @, because spreadsheet apps can treat a cell that starts with @ as a formula.

Handle rules by platform

LinkedIn turns a typed @mention into the person’s or page’s name, so copied LinkedIn posts usually contain names rather than handles. The LinkedIn option is most useful for profile links and drafts that use @name.

PlatformAllowed charactersLengthProfile link
X (Twitter)Letters A–Z, digits, underscoreUp to 15x.com/name
InstagramLetters, digits, full stop, underscoreUp to 30instagram.com/name
ThreadsSame as Instagram (same username)Up to 30threads.com/@name
TikTokLetters, digits, underscore, full stop (not last)2–24tiktok.com/@name
YouTubeLetters in many scripts, digits, underscore, hyphen, full stop3–30youtube.com/@name
LinkedInLetters, digits, hyphen (public profile address)3–100linkedin.com/in/name

How tricky cases are handled

  • Emails: press@example.com is ignored. So is “@gmail.com” on its own, which is a domain rather than an account.
  • Punctuation: a full stop or hyphen at the end of a handle is treated as the end of the sentence, and an apostrophe ends the handle — “@MathsWithMeera’s video” gives @MathsWithMeera.
  • Too long: with X rules, @this_handle_is_far_too_long is skipped rather than cut to 15 characters, because X would not link it either.
  • Inside links: an @ inside a web address is only used when “Also read profile links” recognises it as a profile, as in tiktok.com/@name.

Common uses

Social media managers use mention lists to see which partners and creators a campaign tagged, community teams use them to collect everyone who asked a question in a thread, and giveaway hosts use them to gather entrants from a comment export — then draw a winner fairly with the Random Name Picker. Hashtags in the same text can be pulled out with the Hashtag Extractor, and contact details with the Email Extractor and URL Extractor.

Mention Extractor FAQ

How do I extract all @mentions from a text?

Paste the text into the mention extractor. Every @username appears in “Extracted handles”, once each and most mentioned first, and the table shows how often each account was tagged.

Will email addresses be picked up as mentions?

No. When the @ follows a letter, digit, dot, plus sign or hyphen it is part of an email address and is skipped; the count of ignored addresses is shown.

Why does “@john.doe” become “@john” with X rules?

X usernames can only contain letters, digits and underscores, so the full stop ends the handle. Choose Instagram, Threads, TikTok or Any platform to keep dots in usernames.

Can I get profile links instead of usernames?

Yes. Set “Write as” to “Profile link”. Handles found under a specific platform, or through a profile link, are written as x.com/…, instagram.com/…, tiktok.com/@… and so on.

Why does the CSV leave out the @ sign?

Spreadsheet apps can treat a cell that starts with @ as a formula, which shows errors or worse. The Username column therefore holds the bare name and the profile link column gives the full address.

Is my text uploaded?

No. The mention extractor works entirely in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.

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