XML Formatter — Prettify & Validate Free
Format and prettify XML with proper indentation and syntax validation. Customizable indent size. Free online XML beautifier.
XML Formatter — Prettify & Validate XML Online
Format, prettify, and validate XML documents with proper indentation and line breaks. Transform minified or messy XML into a readable, well-structured format. The formatter validates your XML structure and highlights errors, making debugging straightforward.
The formatter parses your XML using a DOM parser, validates the document structure for well-formedness, and reconstructs it with consistent indentation. It handles processing instructions, CDATA sections, comments, namespaces, and self-closing tags correctly. Invalid XML triggers clear error messages pointing to the problem location.
Backend developers debug SOAP API responses and requests. DevOps engineers read XML configuration files for web servers (Apache, IIS) and application servers. Data engineers process RSS/Atom feeds and data interchange files. Frontend developers format SVG files for readability and editing.
When working with large XML files, format small sections at a time to isolate structural errors. Pay attention to namespace declarations — missing or incorrect namespaces are a common source of parsing errors. Always validate your XML against its schema (XSD) if one is available, not just for well-formedness.
While IDEs like VS Code and IntelliJ have built-in XML formatting, this browser-based tool is faster for quick one-off formatting tasks without opening a project. For JSON formatting and data format conversions, check out the related tools below.
How the XML Formatter Works
- Paste your minified or messy XML into the input field
- The formatter parses the XML and validates its structure
- View the beautified output with proper indentation and line breaks
- Copy the formatted XML or download as a file
Working with XML Documents
XML is still widely used in SOAP APIs, RSS feeds, SVG files, and enterprise integrations. Properly indented XML is much easier to debug and review. Common issues include unclosed tags, mismatched nesting, and unescaped special characters (&, <, >). This formatter catches structural errors and shows exactly where the problem is in your markup.
When to Use the XML Formatter
Use this formatter whenever you encounter minified or poorly indented XML that is difficult to read. This commonly happens with SOAP API responses, auto-generated XML configuration files, SVG files exported from design tools, and XML database dumps. Proper formatting makes debugging and code review significantly faster.
Common Use Cases
- •Debugging SOAP API responses by formatting the raw XML for readability JSON Formatter & Validator — Instant Results
- •Formatting SVG files exported from Figma or Illustrator for manual editing
- •Prettifying XML configuration files for web servers (Apache, IIS) and application servers
- •Making RSS/Atom feed XML readable for troubleshooting syndication issues YAML ↔ JSON Converter — Instant & Free
Expert Tips
- ✱Use 2-space indentation for XML that will be stored in version control — it reduces diff noise compared to 4-space or tab indentation
- ✱If formatting fails, the error message points to the first parsing error — fix that issue first as subsequent errors are often cascading
- ✱For XML with CDATA sections, the formatter preserves content inside CDATA blocks exactly as-is
Frequently Asked Questions
- Well-formed XML follows basic syntax rules: properly nested tags, matching open/close tags, and quoted attribute values. Valid XML additionally conforms to a specific schema (XSD or DTD) that defines allowed elements and structure. This formatter checks for well-formedness but not schema validation.
- No, the formatter only changes whitespace and indentation. Your element content, attributes, CDATA sections, and comments remain unchanged. The output is semantically identical to the input — only the visual layout changes.
- Yes, SVG is valid XML and can be formatted with this tool. This is useful when editing SVG files by hand or debugging SVG rendering issues. Formatted SVG makes it easy to find and modify specific elements, paths, and styling.
What is the difference between well-formed and valid XML?▾
Does the formatter change my XML content?▾
Can I format SVG files with this tool?▾
Related Tools
JSON Formatter & Validator — Instant Results
Format, validate, and minify JSON with instant error highlighting. Pinpoints syntax errors. Free, private, browser-based.
JSON to CSV Converter — Export Instantly
Convert JSON arrays to CSV format with automatic header detection. Download as CSV file. Free, browser-based — no upload needed.
CSV to JSON Converter — Auto-Detect Format
Convert CSV data to JSON format instantly. Auto-detects delimiters and headers. Free, private, browser-based — no upload needed.
JSON to XML Converter — Instant & Free
Convert JSON data to XML format with proper indentation and escaping. Free, browser-based converter — no upload needed.
JSON Tree Viewer — Expandable Visualizer
Visualize JSON data as an expandable, collapsible tree. Search keys and values, copy JSON paths. Free online JSON explorer.
JSON Schema Validator — Free Online Tool
Validate JSON data against a JSON Schema instantly. Perfect for AI function calling and API validation. Free, browser-based.