XML Formatter

• 100% Free

  Core tools stay free with no paywall to unlock basics.

• No Registration Required

  Open a tool and start immediately - no account needed.

• Privacy First

  We avoid unnecessary collection and keep processing local when possible.

• Browser Processing

  Most tools run in your browser so your input never needs a server round-trip.

• Fast & Secure

  HTTPS everywhere with instant, client-side results for everyday tasks.

• Mobile Friendly

  Layouts and controls are built for phones, tablets, and desktops.

• Updated Regularly

  Tools and content are improved continuously as the platform grows.

Key Features

• Well-Formedness Checks

  Tracks every opening and closing tag on a stack and reports the exact mismatched or unclosed element instead of silently producing broken output.

• Prolog, Comment & CDATA Aware

  Preserves the <?xml ... ?> declaration, <!-- comments -->, and <![CDATA[ ]]> blocks exactly as written while everything else gets re-indented.

• Depth-Based Indentation

  Nests each child element two spaces deeper than its parent, so deeply structured documents like feeds and manifests stay easy to trace.

• Browser-Local Minify

  Collapses an entire document to a single dense line for storage or transport without ever sending it to a server.

How to Use

1. 1

   Paste your XML

   Copy a document from an API response, config file, RSS feed, or SOAP envelope.

2. 2

   Choose Format or Minify

   Format re-indents nested elements by depth; Minify strips comments and whitespace between tags.

3. 3

   Fix any structure error shown

   If tags are unbalanced, the tool reports the specific unclosed or mismatched element before producing output.

4. 4

   Copy or download the result

   Export the formatted or minified XML to your clipboard or as a .xml file for your project.

Use Cases

• Debugging SOAP or REST XML responses

  Many legacy APIs return XML on a single line - format it to trace nested elements and namespaces while debugging an integration.

• Reviewing RSS and Atom feeds

  Format a feed export to check item ordering, dates, and enclosure tags before troubleshooting a syndication issue.

• Auditing config and manifest files

  Clean up Android manifests, Maven POMs, or build configs pulled from a repository so nested sections are easy to scan.

• Compacting XML before storage or transport

  Minify hand-edited XML payloads to reduce size before saving them to a database column or sending them over the wire.

Examples

<?xml version="1.0"?><catalog><book id="1"><title>Guide</title><author>Ada</author></book></catalog>

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<catalog>
  <book id="1">
    <title>
      Guide
    </title>
    <author>
      Ada
    </author>
  </book>
</catalog>

<config>
  <setting name="timeout">30</setting>
  <setting name="retries">3</setting>
</config>

<config><setting name="timeout">30</setting><setting name="retries">3</setting></config>

Benefits

• ✓Turns single-line API or feed responses into readable, indented XML for faster debugging
• ✓Reports the exact unclosed or mismatched tag instead of leaving you to scan raw text
• ✓Shrinks hand-edited XML before storing or transmitting it to reduce payload size
• ✓Preserves the XML prolog, comments, and CDATA sections exactly as written
• ✓Runs entirely in your browser, so internal configs and SOAP payloads stay private

Best Practices

• Format API responses immediately when debugging so nested elements and attributes are easy to trace line by line.
• Fix any reported structural error before minifying - minify does not re-check balance on already-broken documents.
• Keep the <?xml version="1.0"?> declaration on its own line at the very top; the formatter preserves it as-is.
• Version-control a formatted copy of config and manifest files even if you deploy a minified variant.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming valid formatting output means the document also validates against an XML Schema or DTD - it only checks tag balance.
• Forgetting that XML is case-sensitive, so </Book> will never close a <book> tag and will surface as a mismatch.
• Minifying documents with mixed content models where whitespace inside text nodes is meaningful, which can subtly change parsed data.

Privacy Notice

Tokenizing, validating, formatting, and minifying all happen locally in your browser. Your XML documents, including internal configs and API payloads, are never uploaded to or stored on ToolMint servers.

About This Tool

Frequently Asked Questions

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