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XML Formatter

Beautify and format raw XML documents with proper indentation and structure.

100% Client-Side Local Execution
Input XML Data
1
Transformed Result
Path:XML
<root>
<user>
<id>
1
</id>
<name>
Alice
</name>
<active>
true
</active>
</user>
</root>

What is XML Formatter?

The XML formatter takes compact or inconsistently indented XML and reformats it into clean, properly nested, readable markup. It's the standard xml formatter developers use to make SOAP responses, config files, or RSS feeds readable again after they arrive minified or as a single long line. Handles namespaces, attributes, and self-closing tags correctly.

Technical Execution

The tool parses the XML using a DOM parser, which builds a tree of elements, attributes, and text nodes while respecting namespace declarations, then walks that tree to re-serialize it with consistent indentation per nesting depth. Parsing through the DOM (rather than regex-based indentation) means malformed tags or unclosed elements are caught rather than silently mangled.

Zero Data Storage Guarantee

Formatting happens entirely in your browser's DOM parser — your XML, which might be a SOAP request with auth headers or an internal data export, is never sent to a server.

How to Use XML Formatter (Step-by-Step Guide)

  1. Paste your compact or poorly indented XML into the input panel
  2. The properly indented, nested output appears automatically
  3. Check for any parser errors if the XML isn't well-formed
  4. Copy the formatted XML to your clipboard
  5. Download the result as an .xml file if needed

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is XML formatter the same as XML beautifier?
A: Yes, both describe the same operation of reindenting XML markup for readability; we support both terms since people search for either.
Q: Does it handle XML namespaces correctly?
A: Yes, namespace prefixes and declarations (xmlns) are preserved exactly as parsed and don't get mangled during reformatting.
Q: Will it fix malformed XML automatically?
A: No, it will report that the document isn't well-formed (for example, an unclosed tag), but you need to correct the actual markup issue.
Q: Can I format XML online without installing an XML editor?
A: Yes, that's the entire purpose of this page — works in any modern browser tab, no software install needed.
Q: Does formatting affect CDATA sections?
A: No, CDATA section content is preserved as-is since it's meant to be treated as literal, unparsed text.
Q: Is there a size limit for formatting XML documents?
A: No fixed limit, but very large XML files (tens of megabytes) may be slower since DOM parsing happens in-browser.
Q: Does it validate against a schema or DTD?
A: No, this formatter only checks that the XML is well-formed; schema (XSD) validation is handled by the separate XML validator tool.
Q: Can I use this for SOAP or RSS XML specifically?
A: Yes, it works on any well-formed XML regardless of the specific dialect, including SOAP envelopes and RSS/Atom feeds.
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