XML Formatter
Pretty-print messy XML with clean indentation
XML Input
Formatted
XML Formatter — Complete Guide & Instructions
MakeCard XML Formatter takes compressed, single-line or badly indented XML and renders it with clean two-space indentation so structure is obvious at a glance. It parses the document with the browser DOMParser first — malformed XML is rejected with a clear error instead of producing garbage output. Attributes, nested elements, mixed text and self-closing tags are all preserved faithfully, making it ideal for debugging SOAP payloads, sitemaps, config files and API responses.
How to Use XML Formatter
- 1 Paste your XML into the "XML Input" box — or press "Sample" to see a demo.
- 2 Click "Format XML" to parse and re-indent the document.
- 3 If the XML is malformed, an error appears — fix the markup and format again.
- 4 Review the indented result in the "Formatted" panel, scrollable for long documents.
- 5 Click "Copy" to copy the formatted XML to your clipboard.
Key Features & Capabilities
- Consistent two-space indentation for every nesting level.
- Validates first — malformed XML produces an error, not bad output.
- Preserves attributes on every element exactly as written.
- Self-closing empty tags render as <tag/> cleanly.
- Mixed text content is kept on its own indented line.
- Scrollable output panel with one-click copy.
Supported Formats & Specifications
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Indentation | 2 spaces per nesting level |
| Parser | Browser DOMParser — validates before formatting |
| Preserves | Attributes, text nodes, nested elements, self-closing tags |
| Output | Scrollable formatted block + copy |
| Extras | One-click sample XML |
Practical Everyday Use Cases
- Reading a minified SOAP or REST XML response during API debugging.
- Cleaning up sitemap.xml or AndroidManifest.xml before editing.
- Formatting config files like pom.xml or .csproj for review.
- Re-indenting XML exported from tools that strip whitespace.
- Preparing readable XML snippets for documentation.
Pro Tips for Best Results
- Format before diffing two XML files — consistent indentation makes real differences stand out.
- Whitespace inside mixed-content elements is trimmed to keep output clean — avoid reformatting whitespace-sensitive markup.
- Use the Sample button to verify the style matches your project's conventions.
- Validate first with the XML Validator if a large document keeps failing — it pinpoints the error.
Common Problems & Solutions
The input must be well-formed — check for unclosed tags, stray & characters (use &), or multiple root elements.
The formatter uses a fixed 2-space style — re-apply your editor's formatter after pasting if your project uses tabs or 4 spaces.
The formatter renders from the root element — re-add an XML declaration line at the top if your file needs it.
Privacy & Security
100% Client-Side Execution
Formatting is done locally by the browser DOMParser — your XML is never uploaded, transmitted or stored anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using XML Formatter
Paste the XML above and press "Format XML" — it is validated and re-emitted with clean two-space indentation you can copy instantly.
No content changes — tags, attributes and text are preserved. Only inter-element whitespace is normalised, which does not affect how parsers read the document.
Because it is not well-formed: common causes are unescaped & or < characters, mismatched closing tags, or more than one root element. Fix those and format again.
This tool expands XML for readability; removing the newlines and indentation from the output effectively minifies it back if needed.
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100% free, browser-based, and private. No installation, registration, or file upload to external servers required.
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