XML Formatter — Readable Indented Markup
Pretty-print XML with indentation using DOMParser and a recursive serializer in the browser.
How it works
- 1Paste or type your text in the input field
- 2Click "Format XML" — processing happens in your browser
- 3Copy the result or download as a text file
What to do next
About XML Formatter / Beautifier
XML Formatter / Beautifier is a single-page tool for the common developer utility task it is named after. Pretty-print XML with indentation using DOMParser and a recursive serializer in the browser. The interface keeps the input on one side, the configurable options in the middle, and the result on the other side. Most jobs start and finish without any scrolling.
Technically, the work is done by standard browser APIs, loaded as part of the page. Inputs are recognised automatically and validated before the engine begins processing. Files up to 0 MB are supported per run; that ceiling keeps browser memory usage stable on a wide range of devices.
XML Formatter / Beautifier runs the entire transformation inside your browser. The file is read by JavaScript running in the page, processed in-memory by standard browser APIs, and written back as a download. The browser is the runtime; the page is the interface. You can confirm what the tool does by opening the developer-tools Network tab during a run — the only requests are for the page's own static assets.
If you fit any of these descriptions, XML Formatter / Beautifier should slot cleanly into your workflow: frontend developers prepping fixtures; QA engineers writing repro cases; data analysts wrangling JSON. The tool keeps the controls focused on what matters for each of these use cases.
Reach for XML Formatter / Beautifier when you need a predictable result on a single file. The page works on the first visit, the controls are visible without a menu, and the output is delivered the moment the engine finishes.
The architecture imposes only the limits the browser itself imposes. The published 0 MB ceiling is conservative; most modern devices comfortably handle inputs up to that size, and the cap exists so the tool degrades gracefully on phones and budget laptops rather than running out of memory.
If your task needs more than one step, chain XML Formatter / Beautifier with XML Minifier, XML to JSON Converter, and JSON to XML Converter. Each tool produces output that is a clean input to the next, so multi-step workflows are just a matter of opening the next tool in a new tab and continuing.
XML Formatter / Beautifier is built around steady iteration on a small set of options rather than feature creep. Every additional setting attracts a slightly different audience, but a long settings panel makes the common case slower for everyone. The current controls reflect what users of the tool actually use.
XML Formatter / Beautifier returns the result as a download. If you are running multiple jobs, the output names will not collide as long as the input names differ. You can re-run with different settings as many times as you like; each run produces a fresh file with no caching trickery in between.
Some background on the design choices behind XML Formatter / Beautifier: every option you see on the page is there because a real workflow needs it, and every option that is not shown has been deliberately omitted to keep the common case fast. The bias is toward minimal-but-complete.
If you also use a command-line tool for xml formatter / beautifier, XML Formatter / Beautifier is a convenient alternative for the times you are on a different machine or helping someone who is not comfortable in a terminal. The output is a standard file in the format documented above.
Useful patterns when working with XML Formatter / Beautifier: keep the input file open in another tab so you can compare against the result; give the output file a descriptive name when saving so you can find it later (the default name is sensible but generic); and treat each run as independent — the tool has no concept of "history", which means you cannot accidentally pollute one job with leftovers from another.
When something goes wrong, the cause is usually one of three things: a malformed input, a browser that is out of memory, or a corporate proxy that is interfering with the page's static assets. The first two are easy to diagnose; the third typically requires asking your IT team to allow standard browser APIs to load.
XML Formatter / Beautifier is one of many single-purpose tools in the catalog. Each is built around the same single-page model. Use this one, close the tab, and come back the next time you need the same job done. None of the tools require prior knowledge of the others — each page is self-contained.
How it works
- 1Reach the XML Formatter / Beautifier page in your browser to begin.
- 2Add your developer input by dropping it onto the page or browsing for it.
- 3Pick any non-default settings you need. Most users leave the defaults alone for the first run and only revisit if the result needs tuning.
- 4Trigger processing. standard browser APIs reads your input, applies the transformation, and writes the result back into the page.
- 5Download the result. The file is generated in your browser and saved through your normal download flow.
- 6Repeat the process for additional inputs whenever you need to. The page stays loaded, so subsequent runs are quick.
Common use cases
- Validate a config blob before pushing to staging using XML Formatter / Beautifier.
- Convert between data formats while wiring up an integration.
- Hash a string for a quick reproducibility check.
- Encode binary content for transport in a JSON body.
- Generate boilerplate from a single specification line.
- Inspect a regex against a test string before committing it.
- Generate a quick fixture without leaving the browser.
- Compare two API responses to spot a regression.
- Pretty-print a minified blob during incident triage.
- Inspect a payload during local development without writing a script.
FAQ
How is XML indented?
Elements are serialized recursively with two spaces per depth level; simple text-only elements stay on one line.
What if XML is invalid?
DOMParser creates a parsererror element; the tool surfaces that message instead of pretending success.
Are namespaces preserved?
Tag names and attributes round-trip through the DOM; namespace prefixes follow what the parser supplies.
Is formatting local?
Yes — no network requests are made while formatting your markup.
Does it change attribute order?
The DOM may reorder attributes; diff carefully if attribute order matters for canonicalization.
Can I control tab width?
Only two-space indents are emitted; replace spaces with tabs in your editor if needed.
Does XML Formatter / Beautifier work in Safari, Firefox, Chrome and Edge?
XML Formatter / Beautifier works in any modern browser released in the last few years — Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Brave, Arc and the major Chromium derivatives are all supported. The underlying engine relies on widely-supported web APIs, so there is nothing exotic to install. If you are on a very old browser version and the tool fails to load, updating to the latest release of your preferred browser is the only fix needed.
Does XML Formatter / Beautifier have an API?
XML Formatter / Beautifier is a browser-only tool by design and does not expose a hosted API. The reason is the same as the privacy story: there is no Favtoo backend doing the work, so there is no service to call. If you need to script the same transformation, the underlying engine (standard browser APIs) is open-source and can be used directly from your own code.
Does XML Formatter / Beautifier support batch processing?
XML Formatter / Beautifier processes one input at a time by design — it keeps memory usage predictable on lower-end devices and makes results easier to verify. To handle a folder, run the tool once per file; the page stays loaded between runs and remembers your last-used settings, so the second run is essentially instant.
How often is XML Formatter / Beautifier updated?
XML Formatter / Beautifier is updated whenever the underlying engine releases an improvement or a bug fix. Because the tool is delivered as a static page, every visit fetches the latest version automatically — there is no "version" to manage on your end. If a particular release ever changes default behaviour, the change is documented on Favtoo's changelog so you can confirm what shifted.
Can I use XML Formatter / Beautifier on documents that contain personal data?
Your file is processed inside your browser by standard browser APIs. The engine reads the file's bytes from your tab's memory, computes the result, and writes the result back into the tab. You can confirm what the page does by opening developer tools and watching the Network tab during a run — the requests you see are for the tool's static assets only.
Why did XML Formatter / Beautifier reject my input?
Failures usually fall into one of three buckets: the input is in an unsupported format, the input is over the size cap, or the input is structurally malformed (a truncated download, a partial export, or a stream the engine does not recognise). The first two are easy to confirm — check that your file is in a supported format and that it is below 0 MB. For the third, opening the file in its native viewer first is the fastest way to confirm the source is intact.
Which file formats does XML Formatter / Beautifier accept?
The accepted formats are listed in the upload area on the tool itself. If your input is in a format that is not directly supported, convert it first using one of Favtoo's converter tools — every Favtoo converter outputs a file that is a clean input to the next tool in the chain.