XML Formatter

What the XML Formatter does

The XML Formatter validates and beautifies XML data, adding proper indentation to nested elements and flagging syntax errors, so dense or minified XML becomes readable and easy to check for mistakes.

How to use it

1. Paste your XML into the box.
2. Click Format XML.
3. Click Copy result to copy the formatted output.

Common uses

• Making an API's XML response readable during debugging.
• Validating a sitemap.xml or RSS feed file for syntax errors.
• Formatting a config file written in XML for easier editing.
• Checking a SOAP request or response body for structural mistakes.
• Cleaning up minified XML pulled from a legacy system for review.

Good to know

XML requires every tag to be properly closed and correctly nested, unlike HTML which tolerates some sloppiness — if formatting fails, the most common culprits are an unclosed tag, mismatched opening/closing tag names, or an unescaped ampersand in the content, which needs to be written as &.

XML's strict, self-describing structure — every element explicitly opened and closed, with support for schemas that formally define what a valid document should contain — made it the standard for enterprise data exchange throughout the 2000s, before JSON's simplicity displaced it for most new web API work. It remains firmly entrenched in contexts that value that formal rigor, including many document formats, financial data standards, and legacy enterprise integrations that would be expensive to replace.