XML Formatter

Paste minified or poorly formatted XML and get a clean, indented version instantly. Syntax errors are highlighted inline. All processing happens in your browser — your data never leaves your machine.

Indent
Sort attributes
Remove comments
Add XML declaration
Input · XML
Output · Formatted XML
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Why format and validate XML?

What does XML formatting do?

XML Formatting (also called "pretty-printing" or "beautifying") takes compact or minified XML and re-serializes it with consistent indentation and line breaks so that each element is on its own line and nesting is visually obvious. This makes large XML payloads — such as API responses, configuration files, and data exports — dramatically easier to read, debug, and review in code diffs.

Beyond cosmetic improvements, a well-structured XML formatter also validates the input: it catches unclosed tags, mismatched elements, illegal characters, and other syntax errors that would cause downstream parsers to fail. Fixing these issues early — before they surface in production — is one of the most practical time-saving habits in back-end and integration development.

When to format XML
  • Debugging SOAP, RSS, or Atom API responses
  • Reviewing config files like Maven pom.xml or Spring XML
  • Inspecting SVG, XHTML, or XSD schema files
  • Preparing data exports for review or archiving
100% private & client-side
  • All parsing done via the browser's built-in DOMParser
  • Your XML never leaves your machine
  • Safe for sensitive config files, API keys, and internal data
  • Works offline — no internet required after load
How to use this tool
  • Paste your XML or click Upload to load a file
  • Choose indent style (2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tab)
  • Toggle optional cleanup: sort attributes, remove comments
  • Click Format XML — copy or download the result
What gets validated?
  • Well-formedness: all tags opened and properly closed
  • Illegal characters and encoding errors
  • Mismatched or duplicate attribute names
  • Errors are shown with line/column info where available
XML vs. JSON — which to use?
  • XML excels at document-centric data with mixed content
  • XML supports namespaces, schemas (XSD), and XSLT transforms
  • JSON is lighter and preferred for REST APIs and browser apps
  • Enterprise/legacy integrations often require XML (SOAP, EDI)
Supported XML dialects
  • Standard XML 1.0 and 1.1 documents
  • SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) files
  • XHTML, WSDL, XSD, and RSS / Atom feeds
  • Maven pom.xml, Spring, Android manifests, and more

Well-formed vs. valid XML — what's the difference?

There are two distinct levels of correctness for an XML document. A well-formed document follows the basic syntax rules of XML: every opening tag has a matching closing tag, attributes are properly quoted, special characters are escaped, and there is exactly one root element. All XML parsers enforce well-formedness — a document that violates these rules will cause a parse error.

A valid document goes further: it also conforms to a schema (either a DTD or an XSD file) that defines which elements and attributes are permitted, their order, and their data types. Validation against a schema requires access to the schema document and is typically done in build pipelines or integration tests using tools like xmllint, Saxon, or dedicated XML editors. This formatter checks only well-formedness, which catches the vast majority of real-world bugs encountered when working with XML manually.