XML Formatter — Format & Beautify XML Online

What is an XML Formatter?

An XML formatter (also called an XML beautifier or XML pretty printer) takes compact or minified XML and adds indentation and line breaks to make it human-readable. This free online XML formatter supports all standard XML including namespaces, CDATA sections, attributes, and comments. Choose 2-space, 4-space, or tab indentation. The tool validates your XML as you type and highlights the exact line of any syntax errors. Everything runs entirely in your browser — your data never leaves your device.

XML Formatter vs XML Beautifier vs XML Indenter

These terms are interchangeable. XML formatter, XML beautifier, XML pretty printer, and XML indenter all describe the same operation: adding whitespace and line breaks to make XML readable. This tool does all of them. If you need the opposite — removing whitespace — use the XML Minifier.

How to format XML in Python

Use xml.dom.minidom to pretty-print XML in Python:

import xml.dom.minidom
dom = xml.dom.minidom.parseString(xml_string)
print(dom.toprettyxml(indent="  "))

How to format XML in JavaScript

const serializer = new XMLSerializer();
const parser = new DOMParser();
const doc = parser.parseFromString(xmlString, 'application/xml');
// Use a custom indent function or a library like xml-formatter

• Format and pretty-print XML instantly — no signup required
• Validate XML syntax with exact error line number
• Supports namespaces, CDATA, comments, and processing instructions
• Copy formatted XML to clipboard or download as a file
• Works offline — 100% client-side, no data sent to any server

Other Free XML Tools

• XML Validator — check XML syntax and find errors with exact line numbers
• XML Minifier — strip whitespace to compress XML for APIs and reduce payload size
• XPath Tester — test XPath expressions against your XML and see matching nodes instantly

Sister Tools

• JSON Indent — free JSON formatter, validator, minifier, and diff tool
• YAML Indent — free YAML formatter, validator, and YAML↔JSON converter

Frequently Asked Questions