XML Formatter & Beautifier

Paste raw or minified XML and instantly get clean, indented, syntax-highlighted output. Validates structure and flags errors with precise line and column numbers.

Indent: 2 spaces 4 spaces Tabs

Paste your XML above and click Format XML to see the result.

About the XML Formatter

This free online XML formatter (also known as an XML beautifier or XML pretty printer) takes raw, minified, or poorly indented XML and reformats it with consistent indentation and line breaks, making it easy to read and debug. It also validates well-formedness and reports errors with precise line and column information.

What is XML?

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a widely-used markup language for storing and transporting structured data. It powers configuration files, RSS/Atom feeds, SOAP web services, SVG graphics, and countless data exchange formats across enterprise and web applications.

Features

Syntax highlighting for tags, attributes, values, comments, and declarations
Choose between 2-space, 4-space, or tab indentation
Minify XML to a single compact line
Inline validation — flags unclosed tags, malformed attributes, and structural errors with line and column numbers
Preserves XML declarations, CDATA sections, and comments
Copy to clipboard or download as an .xml file
100% client-side — your data never leaves your browser

How to use

Paste your XML into the input box (or click Sample to load an example).
Select your preferred indentation style.
Click Format XML to beautify, or Minify to compact.
Any errors are shown above the output with line and column numbers.
Copy the result to your clipboard or download it as a file.

Common XML errors

Unclosed tags — every opening tag must have a matching closing tag, e.g. <item>...</item>.
Unquoted attributes — all attribute values must be wrapped in double or single quotes.
Multiple root elements — a valid XML document must have exactly one root element.
Unescaped special characters — use &, <, >, " inside element content.
Invalid tag names — tag names must start with a letter or underscore, not a number or special character.