Free Online XML Formatter

An XML formatter takes minified or single-line XML and prints it with one element per line, indented to show the tree structure.

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How to Use This Developer Tool

  1. Paste your XML into the input area.
  2. Pick an indent size (2 or 4 spaces).
  3. Read the formatted output below the input.
  4. Click Copy to send the formatted XML to your clipboard.

What Is a XML Formatter?

Wire-format XML and SOAP responses arrive as a single line; humans need it indented to read the nesting. The formatter walks the parsed document tree and prints each element on its own line, preserving text content and attribute order verbatim.

The formatter uses the browser's built-in `DOMParser`, which doubles as a well-formedness check — mismatched tags, unescaped ampersands, and stray characters surface as inline errors before any reformatting happens. There's no fix-up pass: the input has to be well-formed XML to begin with, which is usually exactly what you want when debugging a SOAP envelope.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an XML formatter do?
An XML formatter adds indentation, line breaks, and proper spacing to minified or messy XML, making it human-readable.
Does it validate XML?
It uses the browser's built-in DOMParser to detect well-formedness issues. Errors are shown when the parser flags them.
Can I format large XML files?
Browser-based formatters handle typical file sizes. Very large XML files (many MB) may take longer or hit memory limits.

Published by the WeGotEveryTool team. We build and test every tool in-house and update pages when the underlying spec, formula, or recommendation changes.

Reviewed: May 2026. Disclaimer: this tool is provided as-is for general informational use. For decisions with material consequences (medical, legal, financial, security) verify results against a qualified professional source.

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