XML Formatter & Validator — Free Online XML Beautifier

What is an XML Formatter?

An XML Formatter (also called an XML Beautifier or XML Prettifier) takes compact or minified XML and reformats it with consistent indentation so it is easy to read and debug. This tool formats, validates, and minifies XML directly in your browser — no data is ever uploaded to a server.

How to Use

Paste your XML into the input box on the left
Click Format to prettify with 2 or 4 spaces of indentation
Click Minify to produce compact, single-line XML
Click Load Example to see sample XML if you want to try the tool first
Click Copy to copy the output to your clipboard

The validator runs automatically as you type, showing a green checkmark for valid XML or a red indicator with the error description for invalid input.

What is XML?

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a text-based format for storing and transporting structured data. Unlike HTML, XML has no predefined tags — you define your own tag names to describe your data. XML is used in:

SOAP web services — older API communication protocol
Configuration files — Maven (pom.xml), Android manifests, Spring configuration
Data exchange — many government and financial APIs still use XML
Office documents — DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX files are ZIP archives containing XML
SVG graphics — Scalable Vector Graphics is a subset of XML

XML Syntax Rules

Valid XML must follow these rules:

Every opening tag must have a closing tag — <item>...</item> or self-closing <item/>
Tags must be properly nested — <a></a> is valid; <a></a> is not
Tag names are case-sensitive — <Item> and <item> are different tags
Attribute values must be quoted — <tag attr="value"> (double or single quotes)
Special characters must be escaped — use < for <, > for >, & for &
Only one root element — every XML document must have exactly one top-level element

XML vs HTML

Feature	XML	HTML
Tags	Custom, user-defined	Fixed set (div, p, a, etc.)
Closing tags	Mandatory	Optional for void elements
Case sensitivity	Case-sensitive	Case-insensitive
Purpose	Data transport	Document presentation
Validation	Against XSD/DTD	Loose browser parsing

When to Minify XML

Minified XML removes all whitespace between tags to produce the smallest possible representation. Use it when:

Sending XML payloads over a SOAP API to reduce bandwidth
Embedding XML in JSON or URL parameters
Storing configuration in databases where size matters

Privacy

All XML processing happens in your browser using JavaScript. Your XML data is never sent to a server, logged, or stored in any way. The tool works offline once the page has loaded.

FAQ

Is my XML data uploaded to a server?

No. All formatting, validation, and minification runs locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your XML is never sent to any server or stored anywhere.

What does the XML validator check?

The validator checks that every opening tag has a matching closing tag in the correct order, and that there are no unexpected closing tags. It catches unclosed tags, mismatched tag names, and extra closing tags. It does not validate against an XML Schema (XSD) or DTD.

What is XML minification and when is it useful?

XML minification removes all whitespace between tags to produce the most compact representation. This reduces file size and is useful when sending XML over a network (SOAP APIs, configuration files, SVG). Minified XML is equivalent to formatted XML — just without the human-readable spacing.

Can I format SVG or HTML with this tool?

SVG is valid XML and can be formatted with this tool. HTML5 is not XML-compliant (it uses void elements like and <img> without self-closing slashes), so the HTML formatter tool is more appropriate for HTML documents.