Indent:
Input XML
Formatted XML
What this tool does
Free XML formatter: beautify, minify, and validate XML syntax with instant error detection
How XML formatting works and when to use format vs minify
This XML formatter uses the browser's built-in DOMParser API to parse your XML, validate its structure, and re-serialise it with consistent formatting. Because the browser's XML parser is the same engine used to process SVG and XHTML documents, validation is strict and accurate. Any well-formedness error is caught and reported with the exact line and character position.
Format mode adds indentation and line breaks to make deeply nested XML readable. Minify mode strips all whitespace between tags, reducing file size for production use. Both operations preserve the exact data content. The 2-space and 4-space indent options let you match your team's coding style or the requirements of a specific tool.
Common use cases: cleaning up XML from APIs or legacy systems before processing, formatting configuration files (Maven pom.xml, Android manifests, Spring beans.xml), debugging SOAP request/response payloads, reading RSS/Atom feeds, and validating XML before committing to version control.
Features and capabilities
Format / Beautify
Adds consistent indentation and line breaks to make nested XML structures readable at a glance.
Minify
Removes all whitespace between tags to produce the most compact valid XML for production use.
Syntax Validation
Uses browser DOMParser for strict well-formedness checking. The same parser used for SVG and XHTML.
Error Detection
Shows the exact parse error message with line/column info to help you locate and fix the problem.
Configurable Indent
Choose 2 or 4 spaces to match your team style or tool requirements.
Live Preview
Output updates automatically as you type. No button click required.
Copy to Clipboard
One-click copy of the formatted or minified output.
100% Client-Side
All processing runs in your browser. XML content never leaves your device.
Examples
XML formatting examples: configuration files, API responses, and common parse errors
Real XML examples showing formatted vs minified output and common error patterns
Config FileMaven pom.xml: project configuration before and after formatting
<!-- Minified (hard to read) -->
<project><modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion><groupId>com.example</groupId><artifactId>my-app</artifactId><version>1.0</version></project>
<!-- Formatted (readable) -->
<project>
<modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
<groupId>com.example</groupId>
<artifactId>my-app</artifactId>
<version>1.0</version>
</project>
Configuration files like Maven pom.xml are often minified in automated pipelines or auto-generated without formatting. This tool restores readable indentation so you can review or edit them without risking syntax errors from manual reformatting.
Parse ErrorCommon XML errors: unclosed tags, unescaped characters, multiple roots
❌ Unclosed tag:
<user><name>John</user>
Error: mismatched tag
❌ Unescaped ampersand:
<company>AT&T</company>
Error: entity not defined
✓ Correct:
<company>AT&T</company>
❌ Multiple root elements:
<a/><b/>
Error: extra content after root
✓ Correct:
<root><a/><b/></root>
The three most common XML errors are: unclosed or mismatched tags, unescaped special characters (& must be &, < must be <), and multiple root elements (XML requires exactly one root). This tool shows the exact error message to help you locate the problem quickly.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about XML formatting, validation, and parsing
What is XML?
XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a markup language designed to store and transport data in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. Unlike HTML, XML does not have predefined tags. You define your own tags to describe the data. XML is widely used for configuration files (Maven, Android manifests, .NET app settings), data exchange between systems (SOAP web services, RSS/Atom feeds), document formats (Microsoft Office .docx, .xlsx, SVG), and API responses from older web services.
What is the difference between XML formatting and minifying?
Formatting (beautifying) adds consistent indentation and line breaks to make XML human-readable. Useful when debugging, reviewing configuration files, or reading API responses. Minifying removes all unnecessary whitespace to reduce file size. Useful for production deployments where bandwidth matters. The data content is identical in both cases; only the whitespace differs. This tool supports both modes with a single click.
What causes XML parse errors?
Common XML errors include: unclosed tags (every opening tag needs a closing tag), mismatched tag names (case-sensitive, <Book> and <book> are different), unescaped special characters (use & for &, < for <, > for >, ' for ', " for "), multiple root elements (XML must have exactly one root element), and invalid characters in the XML declaration. This tool shows the exact parse error message to help you locate and fix the issue.
What is the difference between XML and JSON?
Both XML and JSON are data formats used for storing and transporting data. JSON is generally preferred for modern REST APIs because it is more concise, natively supported in JavaScript, and easier to parse. XML is preferred in enterprise systems (SOAP, ESB), document formats (Office files, SVG), configurations requiring schemas and namespaces, and when you need to mix data with markup (like HTML). XML supports attributes, namespaces, and schemas (XSD) that JSON doesn't have native equivalents for.
How do I validate XML against a schema (XSD)?
This tool validates that your XML is well-formed (correct syntax) but does not validate against an XSD schema (which checks that the content matches a specific structure definition). For XSD validation, use an IDE plugin (IntelliJ, VS Code with XML extension), an online validator like FreeFormatter.com, or a programming library (Java's javax.xml.validation, Python's lxml, .NET's XmlSchema). Well-formed XML is the first requirement. Your XML must pass this tool before XSD validation makes sense.
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