XML Formatter and Validator

Pretty-print and validate XML with proper indentation.

XML232 characters

Mode

Indentation

What does XML Formatter do?

Format XML with nested indentation so structure is visible at a glance, or minify it for transport. Malformed documents are reported with the position of the problem — unclosed tags, mismatched names and invalid characters.

How to Use XML Formatter

1
Paste your XMLAny XML document, RSS feed or SOAP envelope.
2
Choose format or minifyIndent for reading, minify for transport.
3
Copy the resultOr download it as a file.

Key Features

Indented output with configurable width
Minify mode that strips insignificant whitespace
Well-formedness checking with a readable error message
Attribute handling that keeps long tags readable
CDATA sections, comments and processing instructions preserved

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "well-formed" mean?

That the document follows XML syntax: exactly one root element, every tag closed, tags properly nested, attribute values quoted and special characters escaped. It is a lower bar than being valid against a schema.

What is the difference between well-formed and valid?

Well-formed means syntactically correct. Valid means it also conforms to a DTD or schema defining which elements are allowed where. This tool checks well-formedness.

Can it format an RSS feed or sitemap?

Yes — both are ordinary XML. Formatting a sitemap makes it much easier to scan for wrong URLs or missing tags.

Does indentation change the meaning?

It can. XML preserves whitespace inside elements, so adding indentation technically alters mixed-content text nodes. For data-oriented XML this never matters; for document-oriented XML with inline markup, use minify instead.