XML Formatter / Validator

Check that XML is well-formed and re-indent it for reading. It uses your browser’s own XML parser and nothing is uploaded.

How to use it

1. Paste your XML.
2. Choose a two- or four-space indent.
3. Read the formatted result, or the error, and copy or download it.

Example

<root><a>1</a><b><c>2</c></b></root> becomes a nested layout, with each element on its own line and text on its own indented line. For <root><a>1</b></root> you get “Opening and ending tag mismatch” with the line and column.

What well-formed means

• One root element.
• Every tag closed, in the right order.
• Attribute values in quotes.
• Special characters escaped, such as &.
• Names are case-sensitive.

Good to know

The tool checks structure only. It does not validate against a schema or DTD, so a file can pass here and still be rejected by the system that reads it. Re-indenting adds whitespace between elements, which is harmless in most data files but matters where spaces inside text count. Ordinary HTML usually fails because it allows unclosed tags.

See the XML guide and the well-formed XML entry.

FAQs