XML Formatter & Validator

Format, validate, minify and beautify XML instantly in your browser.

Input XML
Output XML

Status

Waiting for input… Browser Processing

0

Characters

0

Lines

0

Elements

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Attributes

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Depth

0 B

Size

How To Use

1

Enter your XML

Paste your XML into the input editor or upload an XML file.

2

Choose an action

Select Format, Validate, or Minify.

3

Review the result

Check the processed XML or validation status and error details.

4

Copy or download

Copy the result or download the processed XML.

About XML Formatter & Validator

XML Formatter & Validator is a browser-based tool for formatting, validating, beautifying and minifying XML. It helps developers turn compact or difficult-to-read XML into a structured, readable format and identify common XML syntax errors.

XML is commonly used for configuration files, APIs, feeds, web services and data exchange. This tool provides a convenient way to work with XML directly in your browser.

Runs locally in your browser No signup required Data never leaves your browser

Features

XML Formatting

Beautify XML with consistent indentation and line breaks to make complex XML structures easier to read.

XML Validation

Check whether XML is well-formed and identify common syntax problems such as mismatched or unclosed elements.

XML Minification

Create a compact XML representation by removing unnecessary formatting whitespace.

Helpful Error Hints

Get useful guidance for common XML mistakes when the problem can be identified reliably.

XML Statistics

View characters, lines, elements, attributes, nesting depth and document size at a glance.

Copy & Download

Quickly copy processed XML or download it for use in development workflows.

Browser-Based Processing

Process XML directly in the browser for a fast and convenient developer-tool experience.

Understanding XML

What is XML?

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language used to structure and exchange data. XML lets developers define their own descriptive tags, which makes it a flexible choice for APIs, configuration files, feeds, web services and general data exchange between systems.

<book id="1">
  <title>XML Basics</title>
</book>

What is XML Formatting?

XML formatting, also called XML beautification or pretty printing, adds indentation and line breaks to XML so that nested elements and attributes are easier to read and understand.

What is XML Validation?

This tool checks whether XML is well-formed — for example, that opening and closing tags match, elements are properly nested, and attribute syntax is valid. In that sense, it works as an XML checker (or XML syntax checker): it flags well-formedness problems as you write them. It does not perform XSD or schema validation, which is a separate process.

Limitations & Important Notes

  • XML validation here checks well-formedness (matching tags, proper nesting, valid attribute syntax) — it does not check XSD or schema validity.
  • XML has only five predefined entities: &amp;, &lt;, &gt;, &quot; and &apos;. Other entities such as &nbsp; will cause an undefined-entity error unless they are declared in a DTD.
  • Formatting may normalize some serialization details, such as converting single-quoted attribute values to double-quoted.
  • Very large or deeply nested XML documents are limited by your browser and device memory, since all processing happens locally — there is no application-level file size limit.

FAQ

An XML Formatter, also called an XML Beautifier or XML Pretty Printer, formats XML with indentation and line breaks so its structure is easier to read and understand.

Paste or upload your XML and select Format. If the XML is well-formed, the tool generates a readable formatted version in the output panel.

Paste your XML and select Validate. The tool checks whether the XML is well-formed and reports useful error information when a problem is detected.

XML formatting adds indentation and line breaks for readability, while minification removes unnecessary formatting whitespace to create a more compact representation.

Yes. Select Format to beautify XML and organize its nested elements with consistent indentation and line breaks.

No. The validator checks whether XML is well-formed. XSD or schema validation is a separate process and is outside the scope of this tool.

The tool processes XML in the browser, so practical limits depend on the browser and the size and complexity of the XML document.

XML only defines five built-in entities: &amp;, &lt;, &gt;, &quot; and &apos;. HTML entities like &nbsp; are not valid in XML unless they are declared in a DTD, so using them directly will cause an undefined-entity error. Use the numeric reference (e.g. &#160; for a non-breaking space) or your own entity declaration instead.

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