What is XML and what is it used for?

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a W3C standard for encoding documents in a human-readable, machine-readable format. It is widely used for web services (SOAP, RSS, Atom), configuration files (Maven, Spring, Tomcat), document formats (SVG, OOXML), and enterprise data interchange.

Is it safe to paste sensitive XML data here?

Yes. This tool processes everything 100% client-side. Your XML data never leaves your device. There are no API calls, no server-side processing, and no storage. It works fully offline after the initial page load.

What is the difference between well-formed and valid XML?

Well-formed XML follows basic syntax rules: every tag is closed, nesting is correct, and attributes are quoted. Valid XML is well-formed AND conforms to a schema (XSD or DTD) that specifies allowed elements, attributes, ordering, and data types.

What is XPath and how do I use it here?

XPath is a query language for selecting nodes from XML, similar to CSS selectors for HTML. Use expressions like //book to select all book elements, or //book[price>12]/title to filter by value. This tool uses the browser native XPath 1.0 engine.

What file formats are supported?

The tool accepts any well-formed XML-based file: .xml, .xsd (schema definitions), .dtd (document type definitions), .svg (vector graphics), .xhtml, and .xsl (XSLT stylesheets). Switch to File mode to drag and drop.

Encoding & Data

XML Toolkit

Free online XML formatter and validator. Pretty-print or minify XML, validate syntax and XSD/DTD schemas, explore tree structure, and test XPath queries. Perfect for SOAP, RSS, SVG, Maven, and Spring configuration files. 100% client-side, no data uploaded.

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Quick reference

Category: Encoding & Data
Runs in: Browser
Data stored: Nothing
Price: Free
Sign-up: Not needed

Browse categories

All features

Pretty-print and minify XML
XML syntax validation with error reporting
XSD schema and DTD validation
Interactive tree visualization
XPath 1.0 query evaluation

What you can do

Format and beautify XML

Paste raw XML and get instant pretty-printed output with configurable indentation (2 spaces, 4 spaces, 8 spaces, or tabs).

Validate XML syntax

Check well-formedness in real time with exact line and column error reporting for unclosed tags, mismatched nesting, and invalid attributes.

Validate against XSD or DTD

Paste an XSD schema or use an inline DOCTYPE to validate that your XML conforms to a specific structure, element ordering, and data types.

Minify for production

Strip all whitespace and indentation to produce the smallest possible XML payload. Saves 20-50% in file size for API responses and storage.

Evaluate XPath expressions

Run XPath 1.0 queries like //book[@category=web]/title to select and filter nodes from your XML document using the native browser engine.

Explore in Tree View

Navigate XML as a collapsible tree with color-coded node types for elements, attributes, text, comments, and CDATA sections.

Private by design

Client-side
No sign-up
Free

XML Toolkit runs entirely in your browser tab. No data is uploaded, no server processes your input, and no account is required.

Specifications

Standards: XML 1.0, XSD, DTD, XPath 1.0
Minification: Strips whitespace, 20-50% size reduction
Validation: Well-formedness + XSD/DTD schema validation
XPath engine: Native document.evaluate() (XPath 1.0)
File formats: .xml, .xsd, .dtd, .svg, .xhtml, .xsl
Processing: 100% client-side, works offline

Frequently asked questions

Related keywords

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