CodesBeautify

XML Formatter

Pretty print XML with the indentation you choose while keeping comments, CDATA sections and processing instructions exactly as they were.

XML
Formatted XML
Runs locally in your browser

About the XML Formatter

XML that comes out of a SOAP response, a Maven build or an Android manifest is often a single line or has inconsistent indentation. This formatter tokenises the document and re-indents every element one level per nesting depth. Short elements that contain only text stay on one line, so <title>Soil and Stone</title> remains readable rather than being split across three lines.

Before formatting, the document is checked with the browser's XML parser, so an unclosed tag, a stray ampersand or mismatched nesting stops the process with the line and column of the problem. Comments, CDATA blocks, the XML declaration and DOCTYPE are preserved verbatim; only whitespace between tags is changed. Attribute order is untouched and whitespace inside attribute values is never altered.

The tool does not validate against a schema or DTD; it checks well-formedness, which is what most "my XML will not load" problems come down to. For structural questions use the XML Validator, and for a collapsible view of a large file try the XML Viewer.

How to use

  1. Paste XML on the left, or upload a .xml, .svg, .pom or .plist file.
  2. Choose an indent size. The output updates as you type.
  3. Copy or download the formatted document. Swap sends it to the XML Minifier.

Common questions

Does the formatter change the content of text nodes?
Runs of whitespace inside mixed content are collapsed to a single space, which is how XML parsers treat insignificant whitespace. Text inside CDATA sections is left exactly as it was.
Why does it say my XML is not well-formed?
Common causes are an unescaped ampersand (write &amp;), attribute values without quotes, an element closed in the wrong order, or two root elements. The message names the line and column.
Can it format SVG or XHTML?
Yes. Both are XML dialects and format the same way. HTML that is not XHTML should go through the HTML Formatter instead, because HTML allows unclosed tags.
Are namespaces supported?
Yes. Namespace prefixes and xmlns declarations are ordinary attributes to the formatter and pass through unchanged.