DevToolKit

XML Formatter & Beautifier — Pretty Print XML Online [2026]

Free XML formatter and beautifier. Paste XML → get perfectly indented output. Validate, minify, and format XML with customizable indentation. Works offline in your browser.

What is XML Formatter?

XML Formatter is a free online tool that formats, beautifies, and validates XML documents. It takes minified or poorly indented XML and produces clean, properly indented output. The tool uses the browser's built-in DOMParser to validate XML syntax, catching common errors like unclosed tags and mismatched elements.

How to Use XML Formatter

1. Paste your XML into the input area. 2. Choose your indentation size (2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tab). 3. The formatted XML appears instantly with proper indentation. 4. Use the Minify button to compress XML to minimal whitespace. 5. Click Copy to copy the result or Download to save it as a file.

How XML Formatter Works

The tool uses the browser's native DOMParser to parse the XML string into a DOM tree. It then recursively traverses the tree, building a new string with proper indentation at each nesting level. Text nodes, CDATA sections, comments, and processing instructions are all handled. Parsing errors are detected via the parsererror element that DOMParser inserts on invalid XML.

Common Use Cases

  • Formatting SOAP API responses for debugging
  • Beautifying XML configuration files (pom.xml, web.xml)
  • Making SVG files readable for editing
  • Formatting XML data exports for review
  • Minifying XML for smaller file sizes in production

Frequently Asked Questions

What is XML formatting?

XML formatting adds consistent indentation and line breaks to XML documents, making the nested tag structure easy to read. Each child element is indented one level deeper than its parent.

Does this tool validate XML?

Yes. The tool uses the browser's DOMParser which validates XML syntax. If your XML has errors (unclosed tags, mismatched elements, invalid characters), the tool will display a descriptive error message.

Can it handle large XML files?

The tool can handle XML files up to several megabytes. Very large files may take a moment to process since everything runs in your browser. For files larger than 10MB, consider using a desktop XML editor.

Is my XML data secure?

Yes. All processing happens entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server.

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