XML Formatter
Indent or compact XML while checking that it is well formed.
How to use the XML Formatter
What does the XML Formatter do?
Indent or compact XML while checking that it is well formed; It applies this page-specific rule: indent or compact XML while checking that it is well formed.
Which inputs does this formatter use?
To indent or compact xml while checking that it is well formed, enter Input, Result; keep every value in the same example; select Process text when the values are ready; Start with a familiar case covered by this rule - Well-formed XML is parsed and rewritten with indentation for readability or reduced whitespace for compact output - so the expected result can confirm the settings.
How should the formatter result be read?
For a result intended to indent or compact xml while checking that it is well formed, well-formed XML is parsed and rewritten with indentation for readability or reduced whitespace for compact output; read result together with the original input rather than as an isolated answer, and confirm that its units or structure match the intended use.
Does formatting change element order?
When the goal is to indent or compact xml while checking that it is well formed, no.
Why does the formatter reject my XML?
When using the page to indent or compact xml while checking that it is well formed, the source must be well-formed before it can be safely reformatted.
Limits and accuracy
When using this formatter to indent or compact xml while checking that it is well formed, formatting cannot repair mismatched tags, invalid entities, or other malformed XML, and whitespace can matter in mixed content; check the result in its intended destination before relying on it for important work; keep input until the output has been checked in its intended destination. For a repeatable check when you need to indent or compact xml while checking that it is well formed, record Input alongside the final output and selected options.
What XML Formatter does
Indent or compact XML while checking that it is well formed.
Enter the value or list you want to check in the labeled controls. The XML Formatter result stays separate so you can review it before copying, downloading, or using it elsewhere.
Your work is processed in this browser tab. Keep the original whenever a conversion changes formatting, dimensions, or precision.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tool validate well-formed XML?
This implementation parse XML with browser APIs, surface parser errors, and serialize elements, attributes, comments, CDATA, and text nodes with controlled indentation. The output is well-formed, formatted or compact XML.
Are comments and CDATA preserved?
The tool handles only the format and rules described on this page. It respects XML nodes and mixed content, which require different parsing rules from JSON or HTML text extraction. It does not contact a remote validation or lookup service.
How is mixed text-and-element content handled?
Input is processed by JavaScript in the current browser tab. Nothing entered in the tool is sent to Plain Tools; keep the original when the transformation is lossy.