XML Formatter
Paste any XML and instantly see it pretty-printed with syntax highlighting, proper indentation, and a fully collapsible tree view. Error detection shows the exact line and column of every parse error. Minify XML for production output or save named snippets for reuse. Supports namespaces, CDATA sections, processing instructions, and comments. No signup, no file size limit, 100% browser-based.
XML
What is XML?
XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a markup language designed for storing, transporting, and structuring data. Unlike HTML, XML uses custom tags defined by the user, making it extremely flexible for representing any kind of hierarchical data. XML is used in web services (SOAP, REST), configuration files, data interchange, RSS feeds, SVG graphics, and more.
This tool parses XML using the browser's native DOMParser API, ensuring fast and accurate well-formedness checking. The formatter produces clean, indented output with syntax highlighting for easy reading.
XML Dialects Supported
| Dialect | Description | Common Extensions |
|---|---|---|
XML | Standard eXtensible Markup Language | .xml |
SVG | Scalable Vector Graphics | .svg |
XHTML | XML-compliant HTML | .xhtml, .xht |
XSLT | XML Stylesheet Transformations | .xsl, .xslt |
RSS/Atom | Web feed syndication formats | .rss, .atom, .xml |
SOAP | Simple Object Access Protocol | .xml, .wsdl |
How to Use — 3 Simple Steps
Paste or Upload XML
Paste your XML into the left panel or click Upload to load an XML file. You can also drag & drop a file directly onto the input area.
Choose Mode & Options
Select Format for pretty-printed output, Unminify to expand compressed XML, or Minify for compact output. Adjust indent style, toggle attribute sorting, and self-closing tags.
Copy or Download
View the result with syntax highlighting in Code view or explore the structure in Tree view. Copy to clipboard or download as an XML file.
Self-Closing Tags
Enable "Self-close" to convert <br></br> to <br/>. This reduces file size and follows XML best practices for empty elements.
Sort Attributes
Enable "Sort Attrs" to alphabetically order attributes within each element. This makes diffs cleaner and XML more consistent across edits.
Minify for Production
Use Minify mode to strip all unnecessary whitespace before deploying XML configuration files or transmitting data over APIs.
Tree View Navigation
Use the Tree tab to visually explore the XML hierarchy. Click on nodes to expand/collapse them and understand the nesting structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is XML and why does it need formatting?
XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a markup language for storing and transporting structured data. Raw or minified XML is often a single long line that is nearly impossible to read. A formatter adds proper indentation and line breaks, making the nested structure clear and easy to navigate for developers.
How does XML validation work in this tool?
This tool uses the browser's built-in DOMParser to parse your XML. If the XML has syntax errors (unclosed tags, invalid nesting, missing quotes), the parser reports the exact error with line and column numbers. Note that this is well-formedness checking, not schema validation (XSD/DTD).
What is the difference between XML formatting and minification?
Formatting (beautifying) adds indentation and line breaks to make XML human-readable. Minification removes all unnecessary whitespace, comments, and line breaks to reduce file size for transmission. Both operations preserve the XML data content — only the presentation changes.
Can this tool handle large XML files?
Yes, this tool processes XML entirely in your browser. It can handle files up to several megabytes efficiently. For very large files (10MB+), processing may take a moment. The real-time mode automatically debounces input to keep the UI responsive.
Is my XML data safe when using this tool?
Absolutely. All XML parsing, formatting, and validation happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. No data is sent to any server. Your XML content remains completely private. You can verify this by checking the Network tab in your browser developer tools.
What is the difference between XML and JSON?
Both XML and JSON are data formats used to store and transmit structured information, but they differ in syntax, verbosity, and use cases. JSON uses minimal syntax (curly braces, square brackets, colons) and is native to JavaScript, making it the dominant format for REST APIs and web applications. XML uses opening and closing tags like HTML, supports attributes alongside content, and can include namespaces, schemas (XSD), and document type definitions (DTD). XML is more verbose but more powerful for document-centric data, configuration files (Maven, Android layouts), SOAP web services, and data with mixed content (text with inline markup).
How do I fix "invalid XML" or XML parsing errors?
Common XML errors and their fixes: (1) Unclosed tag — every opening tag needs a matching closing tag or must be self-closed:
not
. (2) Unescaped special characters — use & for &, < for <, > for >, " for ", ' for ' inside attribute values. (3) Missing XML declaration — add at the top if your parser requires it. (4) Case mismatch — XML is case-sensitive: