XML Formatter & Validator
Pretty-print, minify, or validate XML — with clear error messages and one-click copy.
XML Input
Could not parse XML
Output
Output will appear here…About this tool
A browser-based XML formatter, minifier, and validator. Paste any XML to instantly pretty-print it with configurable indentation (2 or 4 spaces), compress it to a single line, or check if it is well-formed. Error messages identify problems like unclosed tags, unquoted attributes, and missing root elements.
How to use it
Quick steps to get the most out of this utility.
- 1
Paste your XML
Drop in raw, compressed, or formatted XML.
- 2
Choose a mode
Format (pretty-print), Minify (compress), or Validate (check structure).
- 3
Fix any errors
If the XML is invalid, an error message explains exactly what is wrong.
- 4
Copy the result
Use the copy button to grab the formatted or minified output.
Common XML use cases
- Configuration files: Maven POM files, Ant build scripts, Spring XML config
- Data interchange: SOAP web services, RSS/Atom feeds, office formats (DOCX, XLSX)
- Android resources: Layout files, string resources, AndroidManifest.xml
- SVG images: Scalable Vector Graphics are XML under the hood
Frequently asked questions
What does XML formatting do?+
XML formatting (pretty-printing) adds indentation and line breaks to make compressed or one-line XML readable. It does not change the data, only the whitespace — so the formatted output is semantically identical to the input.
How is XML different from HTML?+
Both use tags, but XML is strict: all tags must be closed, attributes must be quoted, and the structure must be well-formed with a single root element. HTML is more forgiving. XML is used for data interchange; HTML is for web rendering.
What does XML validation check?+
The validator checks that the XML is "well-formed" — meaning proper nesting, closed tags, quoted attributes, and a single root element. It does not validate against an XML Schema (XSD) or DTD, which would require a server-side tool.
What is XML minification used for?+
Minifying XML removes all unnecessary whitespace to reduce file size. Useful for APIs and config files where bandwidth or storage matters and human readability is secondary.
Are XML namespaces supported?+
The formatter handles standard XML including namespace declarations (xmlns attributes). It does not resolve or validate namespace URIs — it treats them as regular attributes.
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