Format XML Online
Paste any XML document and click Format to get a clean, indented version. The formatter uses the browser's built-in DOMParser to walk the node tree and emit a tidy result that mirrors the original structure.
Input XML
Formatted XML
ACTION
Runs entirely in your browser
How it works
The tool uses the browser's native DOMParser to build an in-memory tree from your XML, then walks the tree to emit either an indented or minified result. Validation reports the parser's error message when a document cannot be parsed.
Processing runs in your browser
All parsing and formatting happens locally in your browser tab. Our servers are not involved at any point.
Frequently asked questions
- Is my XML sent to a server?
- All formatting happens in your browser using the native DOMParser and XMLSerializer APIs. Our servers are not involved at any point.
- Does the formatter preserve CDATA and comments?
- Yes. The walker emits CDATA sections and comment nodes alongside elements so the structure of the original document is preserved.
- Can I format SOAP envelopes or RSS feeds?
- Yes. Any well-formed XML document, including SOAP envelopes, RSS or Atom feeds, SVG markup, and Maven POMs, will format with consistent indentation.
- What indentation does the formatter use?
- Always two spaces per level; there is no setting to change it. Each nested element starts on a new line, indented two spaces deeper than its parent, and an element that holds text stays on one line with its text as written.
- Does formatting change my XML's meaning?
- Formatting only changes the indentation between elements. Attribute order, text, mixed content, CDATA, comments and the DOCTYPE stay as they are. Entities declared inside the DOCTYPE are written out as their expanded text.
Last reviewed September 30, 2026
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