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XML Formatter & Validator

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3 min readUpdated

About XML Formatter & Validator

The XML Formatter prettifies and validates XML documents instantly. Paste compact or minified XML and get properly indented, human-readable output. Or minify formatted XML by removing all whitespace for production use.

The validator checks for well-formedness: mismatched tags, missing closing tags, invalid characters, malformed attributes, and incorrect nesting. Errors are displayed with the line and column number.

XML is used in configuration files, SOAP APIs, RSS feeds, SVG graphics, Microsoft Office formats (DOCX, XLSX), Android layouts, Maven POM files, and many enterprise data formats.

Everything runs in your browser. Your data never leaves your device.

XML Formatter & Validator Features

  • Runs entirely in your browser

    XML Formatter & Validator processes everything client-side — nothing you paste, type, or upload is sent to a server.

  • Free, instant, no sign-up

    No account, no usage limits, no paywall. Results update as you type or click.

  • Beautify or compress XML — validate structure and catch errors

    The XML Formatter prettifies and validates XML documents instantly. Paste compact or minified XML and get properly indented, human-readable output. Or minify formatted XML by removing all whitespace for production use.

How to Use XML Formatter & Validator

  1. Paste your XML into the input.

  2. Choose Prettify to add indentation or Minify to remove whitespace.

  3. Syntax errors are shown with the line number.

  4. Copy the formatted output.

Examples

Example — Format compact XML
Input
<root><person><name>Alice</name><age>30</age></person></root>
Output
<root>
  <person>
    <name>Alice</name>
    <age>30</age>
  </person>
</root>
Example — Format a SOAP request
Input
<soap:Envelope><soap:Body><GetPrice><Item>Apple</Item></GetPrice></soap:Body></soap:Envelope>
Output
<soap:Envelope>
  <soap:Body>
    <GetPrice>
      <Item>Apple</Item>
    </GetPrice>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Practical Uses for XML Formatter & Validator

  • Beautify a minified SOAP request for debugging
  • Format an Android layout XML file for readability
  • Prettify an RSS feed's raw XML for manual review
  • Minify an XML config file before deploying to production
  • Format a Maven pom.xml file after a merge conflict
  • Beautify an SVG file's markup for manual editing

Who Uses the XML Formatter & Validator Tool

  • Developers beautify SOAP requests, Android layouts, and Maven config files for readability.
  • QA engineers format raw XML API responses for easier manual review during testing.
  • DevOps engineers prettify XML configuration files before committing them to version control.
  • Designers and developers clean up SVG markup exported from design tools before manual editing.
  • Integration engineers review and format XML payloads exchanged between enterprise systems.

Comparisons

XML Formatter vs XML Schema Generator

The XML Formatter cleans up a single document's presentation — fixing indentation and validating that tags are properly nested and closed — without checking whether the document follows any particular structure. The XML Schema Generator instead looks at an example document and produces an XSD describing what a valid document of that type should contain.

Format and validate your XML first to catch basic well-formedness errors, then generate a schema from a clean example if you need to validate future documents against the same structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it validate the XML?

Yes — it checks for XML well-formedness: mismatched tags, missing closing tags, invalid attribute syntax, and illegal characters. It does not validate against a DTD or XSD schema.

Can I format SOAP XML?

Yes — SOAP envelopes are standard XML. Paste the full SOAP message and it will be formatted with proper indentation.

Does it preserve XML comments?

Yes — XML comments (<!-- -->) are preserved and properly indented in the formatted output.

Can I format SVG files?

Yes — SVG is XML-based. Paste your SVG code and it will be formatted with proper indentation.

What indentation is used?

2 spaces by default. Switch to 4 spaces or tabs using the indentation selector.

Can I format a SOAP request I copied from a log file?

Yes — SOAP envelopes are standard XML. Paste the raw request and the formatter will indent it for easy reading, including nested namespaces.

Does it validate against my XSD schema?

No — this tool only checks that the XML is well-formed (properly nested and closed tags). For schema validation against an XSD, use a dedicated XML validator that supports schema checking.

Can I use this to clean up an Android layout XML file?

Yes — Android layout files are standard XML. Paste the contents to reformat with consistent indentation, which is helpful after a merge conflict or when reviewing generated layouts.

Ready to use XML Formatter & Validator?

It's free, runs entirely in your browser, and there's nothing to install or sign up for.

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