How to view an XML file online
- Open your XML. Drop one or more .xml files (or .svg, .rss, .xsd, .kml, .plist and more), paste XML text, or try a sample.
- Explore it. Browse the collapsible tree, read the formatted or raw code, or see repeating records as a table. Search the text or run an XPath query.
- Fix errors. If the file is not well-formed, the viewer shows the exact line and column with a hint, so you can fix it and reload.
- Convert or download. Beautify or minify, copy an element’s XPath, export to JSON, YAML or CSV, or download all open files as a ZIP.
Shortcuts: Ctrl + F search, Enter / Shift + Enter next and previous match, Ctrl + S download, Ctrl + O open, arrow keys move through the tree.
You can also paste XML anywhere on the page with Ctrl + V.
Common XML errors and how to fix them
Most broken XML comes from a handful of small mistakes.
The viewer points to the exact line and column, and explains which one it is.
| Error | Broken | Fixed |
|---|
| Bare ampersand | ?a=1&b=2 | ?a=1&b=2 |
| Mismatched tags | <b><i>x</b></i> | <b><i>x</i></b> |
| Unquoted attribute | <a id=5> | <a id="5"> |
| Two root elements | <a/><b/> | <r><a/><b/></r> |
Space before <?xml | ␣<?xml ...?> | <?xml ...?> on line 1 |
| HTML entity | |   |
Raw < in text | a < b | a < b |
Files that are really another format open better elsewhere: try the HTML Viewer, JSON Viewer or Text Viewer.
About XML files
XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a text format for storing and moving structured data.
It is readable by people and machines, which is why it powers config files, web services (SOAP, WSDL), document formats and feeds.
An .xml file is plain text, so any editor opens it. Without highlighting, a tree and error checking, though, a big file is hard to read - that is what this viewer adds.
Many formats are built on XML: XSD schemas, XSL/XSLT stylesheets, SVG graphics, RSS and Atom feeds, plist, WSDL, GPX and KML. Microsoft Office files are ZIP packages full of XML - peek inside with the ZIP File Viewer.
When to use an online XML viewer
- Quick inspection - read a downloaded feed, config or export without a heavy editor.
- Restricted devices - view XML on Chromebooks, tablets or locked-down work PCs.
- Validate fast - catch a broken tag or a bare & before it breaks a build or an import.
- Compare versions - load two files side by side to spot what changed.
- Reshape data - turn XML into JSON, YAML or CSV for APIs, scripts and spreadsheets.
Working with other formats? Use the YAML Viewer for configuration, the CSS Viewer and JS Viewer for code, or the CSV Viewer for exported tables.
