XML Formatter: Format, Beautify & Tidy XML Online
An XML formatter rewrites raw XML with consistent indentation so its structure is readable (also called beautifying, pretty-printing, or tidying XML). Paste any XML to format it free in your browser: indentation is normalized idempotently (formatting twice never double-indents), and one click minifies it back to a single line.
How it works
- 1
Paste raw or minified XML into the editor.
- 2
Click Format & Beautify: whitespace is normalized and every level indented consistently.
- 3
Copy the result, or click Minify to strip all inter-tag whitespace for transmission.
Frequently asked questions
How do I format XML for free?
Paste it above and click Format & Beautify: no signup, no upload, no limit on usage. The formatter runs entirely in your browser using the native XML parser, so it's instant even for large documents.
What is the difference between formatting, beautifying, prettifying, and tidying XML?
They're the same operation with different names: normalize whitespace and indent nested elements so the hierarchy is visible. The opposite operation is minifying: removing all non-significant whitespace to shrink the document.
Why do some formatters double-indent when clicked twice?
Because they add indentation on top of existing whitespace. This formatter first collapses whitespace between tags, then re-indents from scratch, so it's idempotent: format once or ten times, the output is identical.
Does formatting change my XML's meaning?
No for element structure: only whitespace between tags is touched. Note that in documents where whitespace inside mixed-content text nodes is significant (rare, e.g. xml:space='preserve'), any formatter can affect it; minify is the safe inverse.
Can I format SOAP or WSDL with this?
Yes, both are XML, but the dedicated SOAP formatter and WSDL formatter add envelope- and contract-aware extras like one-click testing and analysis.
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