How to Format and Validate XML

Format messy XML in one click

Paste any unformatted XML into the input panel and click Format. The tool adds proper indentation (2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tabs — your choice) and line breaks, making even deeply nested structures readable.

Validate before deploying

As you type, the validator runs in the background and highlights the exact line with an error. Red gutter markers and a plain-English error message tell you exactly what's wrong — no cryptic parser output.

Convert XML to JSON for APIs

Click XML → JSON to get a clean JSON representation. Attributes become @_key pairs, text content becomes a value, and repeated sibling elements become arrays — exactly what you need for most REST APIs.

Explore structure with Tree View

Toggle the tree view to see your XML as an interactive hierarchy. Click any node to jump to that line in the editor. Perfect for large documents where you need to navigate without scrolling.

Reduce payload size with Minify

Click Minify to strip all whitespace from your XML. The output panel shows the byte reduction (e.g., '3,420 → 1,890 bytes — 45% smaller'). Use this before embedding XML in code or sending it over a network.

Common XML Formats

XML is used everywhere — from Java project files to Android layouts to web service contracts. Here are the most common XML formats you'll encounter.

Maven pom.xml

Java project dependency management

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0">
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <groupId>com.example</groupId>
  <artifactId>my-app</artifactId>
  <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
</project>

RSS Feed

Syndication and blog feeds

<rss version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>My Blog</title>
    <link>https://example.com</link>
    <item>
      <title>Hello World</title>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

SOAP Envelope

Web service request/response

<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
  <soap:Header/>
  <soap:Body>
    <GetUser xmlns="http://example.com/users">
      <UserId>42</UserId>
    </GetUser>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Android Layout

Android UI resource files

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
  android:layout_width="match_parent"
  android:layout_height="match_parent"
  android:orientation="vertical">
  <TextView
    android:id="@+id/title"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:text="Hello" />
</LinearLayout>

What Is XML?

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a text format for storing and transporting structured data. Unlike HTML, XML has no predefined tags — you define the tag names to match your data. That flexibility makes it the backbone of configuration files, APIs, document formats, and data interchange protocols.

Every XML document must be well-formed: it needs exactly one root element, all tags must be closed, attribute values must be quoted, and special characters must be escaped. A well-formed document can be parsed by any XML parser. A valid document additionally conforms to a schema (XSD or DTD), but well-formedness is the baseline.

Common uses of XML include: Maven and Gradle build files, Android layout files, Spring and Hibernate configuration, SOAP web service envelopes, RSS and Atom feeds, SVG vector graphics, Office Open XML (.docx, .xlsx), and countless enterprise data exchange formats.

XML vs JSON: When to Use Each

Feature	XML	JSON
Attributes	First-class (id="1")	Requires convention
Comments	Supported (<!-- -->)	Not supported
Schema validation	XSD, DTD, Schematron	JSON Schema
Namespaces	Built-in	Not supported
Verbosity	More verbose	More compact
Browser support	Native DOM API	JSON.parse()
Best for	Config files, SOAP, enterprise	REST APIs, web apps

Need to switch between them? Use the XML → JSON button above to convert instantly. The converter preserves attributes as @_key pairs and handles repeated elements as arrays.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my XML data sent to any server?: No. All processing happens 100% in your browser using JavaScript APIs. Your XML never touches our servers — or anyone else's. You can even use this tool offline after the page loads.
What's the difference between Format and Minify?: Format (beautify) adds indentation and line breaks to make the XML readable. Minify does the opposite — it strips all whitespace and newlines to produce the most compact single-line version, which is ideal for reducing payload size in APIs or config files.
Why does my XML show as invalid?: Common causes: unclosed tags (every <tag> needs a </tag>), attribute values without quotes (use attr="value" not attr=value), multiple root elements (XML requires exactly one root), and unescaped special characters (use & for &, < for <, > for >).
Does the XML → JSON conversion preserve attributes?: Yes. Attributes are preserved as @_attributeName keys in the JSON output. For example, <book id="1"> becomes { "book": { "@_id": "1", ... } }. Repeated elements are automatically converted to arrays.
What file types can I drag and drop?: The tool accepts .xml, .svg, .xhtml, .pom, .xsl, and .xsd files. You can also use the Upload File button as an alternative. SVG files are valid XML, so they format and validate perfectly.
Can I use this for large XML files?: Yes, within browser memory limits. The tool handles files up to several megabytes without issue. For extremely large files (50MB+), consider splitting them first, as the editor may slow down.