XML Formatter & Beautifier
Paste your XML to format, validate and beautify it instantly. Supports minification and syntax highlighting. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is sent to any server.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between XML and HTML?▾
Both use tags, but XML is a data format with no predefined tags — you define your own. HTML has fixed tags (div, p, a…) for rendering web pages. XML is strict: all tags must be closed, attributes must be quoted, and nesting must be correct. HTML parsers are lenient and recover from errors; XML parsers are not.
What makes an XML document 'well-formed'?▾
A well-formed XML document must have exactly one root element, all elements must be properly nested (no overlapping tags), all tags must be closed (or self-closed with />), attribute values must be quoted, and special characters like <, >, & must be escaped as <, >, &.
What is the difference between well-formed and valid XML?▾
Well-formed means the XML follows basic syntax rules. Valid means it also conforms to a schema (DTD or XSD) that defines which elements and attributes are allowed and in what order. This tool checks well-formedness — schema validation requires a DTD or XSD file.
When should I use XML vs JSON?▾
JSON is simpler and dominant for REST APIs and web apps. XML is preferred when you need comments, mixed content (text + markup), namespaces, or when integrating with legacy enterprise systems (SOAP, RSS, XSLT, Office formats). XML also supports schemas (XSD) for strict contract enforcement.