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XML Tools Notepad++ (Online Formatter + Validator)

If you use the Notepad++ XML Tools plugin, this tool gives you the same day-to-day actions in the browser: check if XML is well-formed, pretty print (indent), and minify (remove indentation whitespace). It’s fast, local (no uploads), and mobile-safe.

Category: Developer · URL: /tools/xml-tools-notepad.html
Privacy: runs locally in your browser. No uploads, no tracking scripts.

How to use

Paste your XML (or text) and choose an action.

  1. Paste XML into the input box.
  2. Click Validate to check well-formedness (syntax).
  3. Click Pretty Print to format with indentation, or Minify to compact it.
  4. Use Escape/Unescape for entity conversion (useful for logs, config values, or embedding).
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Secondary intents covered: Pretty print XML with a specific indentation width (tabs or spaces), Minify XML by removing whitespace-only text nodes used for indentation, Check whether an XML document is well-formed and locate parse errors, Quickly escape plain text into XML-safe entities, Unescape XML entities back into readable text, Copy formatted/minified XML for pasting into Notepad++ or source code, Strip the XML declaration header when needed for embedding, Swap input/output to iterate on formatting, Compare behavior to Notepad++ XML Tools for common tasks

FAQ

Is this the same as the Notepad++ XML Tools plugin?

It mirrors the common actions (pretty print, minify, well-formed check), but it’s not a full replacement for every plugin feature.

Does “Validate” check against an XSD schema?

No. It checks well-formed XML (syntax) using the browser XML parser; XSD validation isn’t included.

Why did formatting change whitespace in my XML?

If you enable “Strip whitespace-only text nodes”, indentation/newline-only nodes are removed (useful for minifying), which can matter for mixed-content XML.

How do I pretty print XML in Notepad++?

Install “XML Tools” via Plugins Admin, then use the plugin’s Pretty Print/Format command (names can vary by version).

What’s the difference between Pretty Print and Minify here?

Pretty Print adds line breaks + indentation; Minify removes indentation whitespace and compacts between tags.

What do Escape/Unescape do?

Escape converts characters like < and & into XML entities; Unescape converts entities back to characters.

Is my XML sent to a server?

No network calls are used by this tool; processing happens locally in your browser.