XML Formatter & Validator

Key features

• Validation uses the native DOMParser, so well-formedness errors come from the same engine browsers use — with the parser's own message shown in a red panel.
• Prettify walks the resulting DOM: element-only nodes expand multi-line, text-only leaves stay inline (<name>Ada</name>), and empty elements self-close.
• Comments, CDATA sections and processing instructions are preserved through formatting — your <?xml …?> declaration keeps its original position.
• Attributes keep their original order and quoting, so diff noise after a round-trip stays minimal.
• Indentation is selectable: 2 spaces, 4 spaces or tab. Element count and maximum depth are reported as live stats.

How it works

1. 1

   Paste or edit your XML

   RSS feeds, sitemaps, config files, SOAP envelopes — anything well-formed. Analysis runs live with a short debounce while you type.

2. 2

   Read the validation verdict

   Valid input shows a green confirmation with element and depth stats. Invalid input shows the parser's error message in a red panel — the page never breaks.

3. 3

   Copy or download the pretty output

   Copy the indented result or download it as formatted.xml with your chosen indent width.

Tips for better results

• 💡If validation fails, read the parser message from the top — it names the offending construct; browsers usually include a line and column hint in the message text.
• 💡Inline-only rendering keeps mixed content readable: an element containing just text stays on one line, while containers with child elements expand.
• 💡Because formatting re-serializes the DOM, entities like &amp; come back canonically normalized — that is correct XML, not corruption.

Frequently asked questions