XML Formatter - Beautify & Check

Overview

Format and check your XML — privately

An XML Formatter re-indents XML by nesting depth so the structure is readable, and checks that it's well-formed — reporting the first parse error. This one runs entirely in your browser, so your XML is never uploaded, and it preserves CDATA, comments, and significant whitespace.

XML shows up in SOAP responses, RSS feeds, config files, and data exports — often minified or awkwardly wrapped. An XML formatter makes it readable: it indents each element according to its nesting depth, adds line breaks, and highlights the syntax, so the document's structure is clear. At the same time it checks well-formedness, telling you if the XML fails to parse and pointing to the first error.

Paste your XML or load a local file, choose your indentation (2 spaces, 4 spaces, or a tab), and the tool reformats and checks it instantly. A collapsible tree view lets you expand and collapse elements to navigate large documents, and you can copy, download, or minify. Importantly, it preserves CDATA sections, comments, processing instructions, attribute order, and significant whitespace (including xml:space="preserve"), so beautifying never changes the document's meaning.

Privacy is the throughline. Everything happens in your browser — no server, no upload, no logging, no tracking. XML frequently carries API payloads and config data; here it never leaves your device, and the tool works offline once loaded.

One important honesty point: this tool checks that your XML is well-formed (it parses correctly — tags matched and nested properly), not whether it's valid against a DTD or XSD schema. Well-formedness is about syntax; validity is about conforming to a defined structure with specific elements, types, and rules. A document can be perfectly well-formed but invalid against a schema. For schema validation, you'll need a dedicated DTD/XSD validator; this tool focuses on formatting and well-formedness.

For related tools, see the JSON Formatter, HTML Formatter, and Excel to XML.

Use cases

When an XML formatter helps

Reading SOAP/API XML. Turn a one-line response into readable structure.
Debugging feeds. Spot where an RSS/Atom or config file breaks.
Exploring documents. Collapse and expand deep XML in a tree.
Tidying exports. Clean up minified XML data dumps.
Sensitive payloads. Format private XML without uploading it.

Guide

How to format XML

Paste or load your XML

Type it, paste it, or open a local file (read in-browser, not uploaded).

Choose your indentation

2 spaces, 4 spaces, or a tab.

Format and check

The tool indents by nesting depth and reports whether the XML is well-formed, with any error location.

Explore the tree

Expand and collapse elements to navigate.

Copy or download

Grab the formatted (or minified) output. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Realistic example

Paste <note><to>Dev</to><body>Hi</body></note> and it becomes a neatly indented document with each element on its own line — and the tree view lets you collapse body to focus elsewhere.

Advanced tip

If well-formedness fails, look for mismatched or unclosed tags, an undeclared entity, or a stray </& — the reported location points you to it.

Common mistake to avoid

Well-formed isn't the same as valid. Passing the well-formedness check doesn't mean your XML matches its schema.

For JSON instead, use the JSON Formatter.

Good to know

What to keep in mind

Zero-knowledge and private. Parsing and formatting run in your browser — nothing uploaded, logged, or tracked, and it works offline.
Well-formed, not valid. It checks the XML parses correctly, not whether it conforms to a DTD/XSD schema.
Cosmetic and safe. It adds indentation between elements but preserves CDATA, comments, attributes, and significant whitespace.
Not a schema validator or XSLT engine. For DTD/XSD validation or transforms, use dedicated tools.
Large files run locally. Very big XML is limited by your device, since there's no server.

Support

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I format (beautify) XML?

Paste your XML (or load a local file), choose an indentation of 2 spaces, 4 spaces, or a tab, and the tool re-indents each element according to its nesting depth, adds line breaks, and highlights the syntax. A minified or messy document becomes a clear, readable structure. Then copy or download the result — nothing leaves your browser.

Does this upload my XML, and does it work offline?

No upload, and yes it works offline. All parsing and formatting happen in your browser using JavaScript — there's no server receiving your document, no logging, and no tracking. That makes it safe for API payloads and config data. Once the page has loaded it keeps working with no internet connection, which you can confirm in your browser's network tab.

How do I check if my XML is well-formed?

Just paste it — the formatter parses your XML as it formats, and if it isn't well-formed it shows the first parse error with its location. Well-formed means the syntax is correct: every tag is closed and properly nested, attributes are quoted, and special characters are escaped. The error message points you to whatever breaks parsing, such as a mismatched tag.

What's the difference between well-formed and valid XML?

Well-formed means the XML follows basic syntax rules — matched, properly nested tags and quoted attributes — so it parses. Valid means it also conforms to a schema (a DTD or XSD) that defines which elements, attributes, and structures are allowed. All valid XML is well-formed, but well-formed XML can still be invalid against a schema. This tool checks well-formedness, not schema validity.

Does it validate against a DTD or XSD schema?

No. It checks that your XML is well-formed (parses correctly), but it doesn't validate against a DTD or XSD schema — it won't confirm that the right elements appear in the right order with the right types. Schema validation is a separate job that needs the schema itself. For that, use a dedicated DTD/XSD validator; use this tool for formatting and a quick well-formedness check.

Does formatting change my XML's meaning?

No. The formatter adds indentation and line breaks between elements — whitespace that XML processors generally ignore — so the data is unchanged. It carefully preserves the parts where whitespace does matter: CDATA sections, the contents of elements marked xml:space="preserve", comments, and attribute values. So the formatted document represents exactly the same information as the original.

Does it preserve CDATA, comments, and attributes?

Yes. CDATA sections (which hold raw text like embedded code), comments, processing instructions, and attributes are all preserved exactly, including attribute order. Reformatting only affects the whitespace between elements. This means you can safely beautify XML that contains CDATA-wrapped scripts or important comments without losing or altering any of it.

What indentation should I use?

It's a style choice. 2 spaces keeps documents compact; 4 spaces is more spread out and can be easier to read for deeply nested XML; a tab lets each viewer set its own width. Indentation is purely cosmetic and doesn't affect the data, so pick whatever matches your project's conventions. You can reformat with a different setting anytime.

Can I explore XML as a tree?

Yes. The tree view renders your XML as expandable nodes, so you can collapse elements you don't need and drill into the ones you do — much easier than scrolling a large formatted document. It's read-only navigation that reflects the structure; your underlying XML stays exactly as you entered it. This is especially handy for deep SOAP responses or config files.

Can I load an XML file instead of pasting?

Yes. You can open a local .xml file and the tool reads it directly in your browser with the FileReader API — the contents load into the editor without being uploaded anywhere. This is convenient for larger documents or ones you'd rather not copy and paste, and it's exactly as private as pasting the XML by hand.

Can it format very large XML?

Usually yes. Because it runs locally, the limit is your device's memory and CPU rather than a server cap, and modern browsers handle large documents well. Very large files (tens of megabytes) can be slow, especially rendering the tree view, but there's no upload size limit from us and nothing is sent anywhere — it's purely a matter of local performance.

Is it free, and are there limits?

Yes, completely free — no payment, no signup, no account, and no usage caps or watermarks. Since everything runs in your browser, there's nothing for us to meter; the only practical limit is your device's performance on very large documents. Use it as much as you like, including offline once the page has loaded.

Still have questions?

If you can't find the answer you're looking for, feel free to contact our support team.

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