Format, Minify & Validate XML Instantly

XML Formatter is a free, privacy-first browser tool for working with XML. Beautify compressed XML, minify it for production, or validate its structure — all without your data ever touching a server.

One-Click Formatting

Paste minified or messy XML and get perfectly indented output instantly:

• 2 or 4 space indentation — switch with one click
• Handles all node types — elements, text, comments, CDATA, processing instructions
• Self-closing tags preserved where appropriate
• Mixed content handled correctly

Minify XML

Strip all unnecessary whitespace for production payloads or storage:

• Uses the native XMLSerializer API for correctness
• Validates the XML before minifying — never outputs broken XML
• Instantly compresses verbose configurations and data feeds

Built-in Validation

Know in seconds whether your XML is well-formed:

• Detects structural errors — unclosed tags, illegal characters, bad nesting
• Surfaces the exact error from the browser parser
• Error messages displayed inline in the status bar

100% Private

Unlike many online XML tools, nothing is ever uploaded:

• All processing uses the browser's native DOMParser and XMLSerializer
• No server roundtrip, no logging, no analytics on content
• Safe for XML containing credentials, PII, or proprietary data

Developer-Friendly UI

The interface is built for speed:

• Side-by-side layout — input on the left, output on the right
• Character counters — see compression savings at a glance
• Paste from clipboard — one-click paste button
• Sample XML — load a working example to test the tool immediately
• Copy to clipboard — copy the output with one click
• Clear — reset everything instantly

Technical Implementation

Built with Next.js 16, TypeScript, and shadcn/ui:

• Pure client-side XML processing via DOMParser / XMLSerializer
• Custom recursive node serializer for deterministic, readable output
• Handles XML 1.0 fully: processing instructions, CDATA, comments, namespaces
• Dark mode supported
• PWA-ready — works offline once loaded

Use Cases

• Debugging API responses — format XML from SOAP, REST, or RSS feeds
• Config file management — prettify pom.xml, Spring configs, Maven settings
• Data processing — format data exports, XSLT inputs, SVG, KML
• Code reviews — normalize indentation for clean diffs
• Learning — inspect XML structure with proper indentation