XML Formatter & Beautifier - Free Online Tool
What is an XML formatter?
An XML formatter takes compact or unstructured XML and turns it into a clean, indented layout. It validates tags, reveals mismatches, and makes attributes easy to scan. Use it to review API responses, sitemap files, config bundles, or log exports without wading through single-line XML.
How to use the XML formatter
- Paste XML: Drop in an API response, sitemap, or config snippet.
- Choose indentation: Select 2 or 4 spaces to match your style.
- Get results: See formatted XML instantly. Copy it or download as an .xml file.
Why use this formatter?
- Faster debugging: Spot missing closing tags or wrong nesting with clear indentation.
- Better reviews: Share readable XML in pull requests and docs.
- Local privacy: Processing stays in your browser, so feeds and configs stay private.
Use case 1: API payload checks
Format SOAP or XML-based API responses to trace elements before integrating.
Use case 2: Sitemap QA
Open a minified sitemap.xml, format it, and confirm URLs, priorities, and lastmod values.
Use case 3: Config inspection
Beautify Android manifests or Spring configs to verify properties quickly.
Examples
Basic example
Input: <note><to>User</to><from>Admin</from><body>Hello</body></note>
Output:
<note>
<to>User</to>
<from>Admin</from>
<body>Hello</body>
</note>
Advanced example
Input: A minified sitemap with dozens of <url> entries
Output: Formatted sitemap with each <url> block on its own, indented lines for <loc>, <lastmod>, and <priority>.
Common errors
Mismatched tags
If you see an error, check for missing closing tags or typos in element names. The formatter points to the first mismatch.
Invalid characters
Unescaped ampersands or angle brackets can break parsing. Replace them with &, <, or > before formatting.
Tips and proven approaches
- Keep 2-space indentation for compact files and 4-space for reviews.
- Validate sitemaps after formatting, then compress for production if needed.
- Pair with the URL encoder/decoder to clean query parameters inside XML.
Related tools
- Format HTML with the HTML formatter.
- Work with YAML configs using the YAML formatter.
- Convert JSON payloads with the JSON formatter.
Privacy and security
All parsing and formatting occur in your browser. No XML content is uploaded or stored.