XML Formatter

XML Formatter & Validator

Format, validate, and minify XML documents. Paste your XML below.

Enter XML to format 

    

  






  
XML Quick Reference

  

    

      
XML Declaration

      <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
      
Optional but recommended. Specifies XML version and encoding.

    

    

      
Elements

      <element>content</element>
      
Must have matching opening and closing tags.

    

    

      
Attributes

      <element attr="value">
      
Attributes must be quoted (single or double).

    

    

      
Self-Closing Tags

      <element />
      
Empty elements can be self-closed.

    

  

  
  
Special Characters

  

    

      
        

          Character
          Entity
          Description
        

      
      
        
<&lt;Less than

        
>&gt;Greater than

        
&&amp;Ampersand

        
'&apos;Apostrophe

        
"&quot;Quote

      
    

  




    
    
    

      

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How to Use This Tool

        
    
  
  1. Paste Your XML Document: Copy your XML from any source—API responses, configuration files, SOAP messages, or exported data—and paste it into the input textarea. Include the XML declaration if present.
    2. 
  
  2. Choose Your Operation: Click "Format / Beautify" to add proper indentation and line breaks. Use "Minify" to remove all unnecessary whitespace for smaller file sizes. Click "Validate" to check well-formedness without changing the content.
    3. 
  
  3. Configure Indentation: Select 2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tabs from the dropdown based on your preferred style. This setting affects the output of the Format operation only.
    4. 
  
  4. Copy the Output: Once processed, click "Copy Output" to copy the formatted or minified XML to your clipboard. Error messages indicate the specific location and nature of any syntax problems.
    5. 




      

      
      
      
      

        
Technical Details

        
XML (Extensible Markup Language) requires strict adherence to well-formedness rules defined in the W3C XML 1.0 specification. Every opening tag must have a corresponding closing tag or use self-closing syntax. Tags are case-sensitive: <Element> and <element> are different tags. Attribute values must be quoted (single or double quotes are both valid), and special characters in content require entity encoding.


The five predefined XML entities are &lt; (<), &gt; (>), &amp; (&), &apos; ('), and &quot; ("). CDATA sections (<![CDATA[...]]>) allow embedding content without entity escaping, useful for code snippets or content with many special characters. Unlike HTML, XML does not define a standard set of elements—the vocabulary is application-specific and may be validated against a DTD or XML Schema.



      

      
      
      
      

        
Common Mistakes to Avoid

        
    
  
  • Mismatched or Unclosed Tags: Every <tag> requires a matching </tag>. Unlike HTML, XML doesn't auto-close elements. Use <element /> for empty elements, not <element>.
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  • Unescaped Ampersands: Bare & characters break XML parsing. Always use &amp; for literal ampersands, even in URLs: url?a=1&amp;b=2.
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  • Case Sensitivity Errors: XML tags are case-sensitive. <Item> closed with </item> is invalid. Maintain consistent casing throughout your document structure.
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Related Tools

        
Working with JSON instead? Use our JSON Formatter for validation and beautification. For testing XML-related patterns, the Regex Tester helps match and extract XML content.