Is this XML formatter free?

Yes, completely free. No account required, no rate limits, no sign-up.

Does my XML data leave my browser?

No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your XML data never reaches any server and is never stored or logged.

What is the difference between Format and Minify?

Formatting (pretty-printing) adds indentation and line breaks to make XML human-readable. Minifying removes all unnecessary whitespace to reduce file size — useful before saving to disk or sending over a network.

Can this tool validate XML against an XSD schema?

This tool validates well-formedness — checking that your XML follows basic XML syntax rules. Full schema validation (XSD, DTD, RELAX NG) requires server-side processing. Well-formedness validation catches the most common errors like unclosed tags, unquoted attributes, and missing root elements.

How does the XML to JSON conversion work?

Element names become JSON keys. Attributes are prefixed with @. For simple elements containing only text, the text becomes the value directly. When the same tag name repeats as siblings, they are collected into an array. This follows the Badgerfish convention.

What size XML files can I format?

Since processing runs in your browser, limits depend on your device memory and CPU. In practice, files up to several megabytes format instantly. Very large files (100MB+) may cause slowdowns depending on your device.

XML Formatter

Pretty-print, minify, validate, and convert XML — entirely in your browser.

Input

Output

Ctrl+Shift+F Format Ctrl+Shift+M Minify Ctrl+Shift+V Validate (may conflict with browser shortcuts)

Runs entirely in your browser — your XML never leaves the page.

How to Format XML Online

This free XML formatter runs entirely in your browser. Paste your XML into the left pane and click one of the action buttons to transform it instantly:

Format — Adds proper indentation to make nested XML readable. Choose 2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tabs using the indent selector.
Minify — Removes all unnecessary whitespace to produce compact XML, ideal for network transmission or storage.
Validate — Checks that your XML is well-formed according to the XML specification. Errors are reported with descriptive messages.
XML→JSON — Converts your XML document to a JSON representation using the Badgerfish convention.
JSON→XML — Converts a Badgerfish-convention JSON object back to formatted XML.

After transformation, use Copy to copy the output to your clipboard, or Download to save it as a file.

Understanding XML Well-Formedness

Valid XML must follow strict rules that distinguish it from the more lenient HTML. The most common mistakes that break XML well-formedness:

All tags must be closed. Use   or   — never just  .
Attribute values must be quoted. Write width="100" — never width=100.
Tag names are case-sensitive. <Book> and <book> are different elements.
Exactly one root element. Multiple top-level tags make a document invalid XML (though they may be valid HTML fragments).
Special characters must be escaped. Use & for &, < for <, > for >, " for ", and ' for '.

CDATA Sections

CDATA (Character Data) sections let you include raw text that would otherwise be interpreted as markup. Content inside <![CDATA[...]]> is preserved exactly as written, including literal < and > characters:

<description><![CDATA[Price: <$10 & free shipping]]></description>

This formatter preserves CDATA sections during both formatting and minification — the content between the brackets is never modified or reescaped.

XML vs HTML — Key Differences

HTML and XML look similar but have important differences that trip up developers. HTML is a specific application designed for web pages; XML is a generic, extensible data format:

HTML tolerates unclosed tags and missing quotes; XML does not
HTML attribute names and tag names are case-insensitive; XML is case-sensitive throughout
HTML has predefined semantic tags like , <div>; XML tags are defined by you
HTML has "void elements" like   that cannot have children; XML uses self-closing tags ( )
Browsers render malformed HTML gracefully via error-recovery; XML parsers reject any well-formedness violation

XML to JSON Conversion

This tool uses the Badgerfish convention for XML↔JSON conversion, which provides a predictable round-trip for most XML structures:

Element names become JSON keys
Attributes are prefixed with @ — e.g., @id, @class
Text content of a simple element becomes its value directly
For mixed content (element with both text and child elements), text is stored under #text — note that text fragments are concatenated, so the exact text–element interleaving cannot be recovered when converting back to XML
When the same tag name repeats as siblings, they are collected into a JSON array

Example — this XML:

<user id="42">
  <name>Alice</name>
  <email>alice@example.com</email>
</user>

Becomes this JSON:

{
  "user": {
    "@id": "42",
    "name": "Alice",
    "email": "alice@example.com"
  }
}

Common XML Use Cases for Developers

XML powers many systems you interact with daily. Knowing when you're dealing with XML (and how to format it) is a practical skill:

Build tools: Maven's pom.xml, Gradle build files, Android's AndroidManifest.xml and layout files
Web feeds: RSS 2.0 and Atom syndication feeds are XML
Office documents: .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx are ZIP archives containing XML files
Web services: SOAP-based APIs exchange XML envelopes — still common in banking, healthcare, and enterprise software
Configuration: Spring Framework, Hibernate, and many Java frameworks use XML config files
Vector graphics: SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is a subset of XML — SVG files can be formatted and validated here
Localization: Android string resources (strings.xml), XLIFF translation files, and many other i18n formats use XML

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this XML formatter free?: Yes, completely free. No account required, no rate limits, no sign-up.
Does my XML data leave my browser?: No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your XML data never reaches any server and is never stored or logged anywhere.
What is the difference between Format and Minify?: Formatting (pretty-printing) adds indentation and line breaks to make XML human-readable. Minifying removes all unnecessary whitespace to reduce file size — useful before saving to disk or sending over a network connection.
Can this tool validate XML against an XSD schema?: This tool validates well-formedness — checking that your XML follows the basic XML syntax rules defined by the W3C. Full schema validation (XSD, DTD, RELAX NG) requires server-side processing or a specialized library. Well-formedness validation catches the most common errors: unclosed tags, unquoted attributes, illegal characters, and missing root elements.
How does the XML to JSON conversion work?: Element names become JSON keys. Attributes are prefixed with @. For simple elements containing only text, the text becomes the value directly. When the same tag name repeats as siblings, they are collected into a JSON array. This follows the Badgerfish convention. Note: mixed content (text interleaved with child elements, like foobarbaz) is approximated — text fragments are concatenated into a single #text field, which means the original text–element positioning is not preserved when converting back to XML.
What size XML files can I format?: Since all processing runs in your browser, limits depend on your device's available memory. In practice, files up to several megabytes format in milliseconds. Very large files (50MB+) may cause slowdowns depending on your device and browser.