Is this the same as the browser's View Source?

Similar but interactive — the viewer collapses tags, lets you click to jump between matching open/close pairs, and highlights attributes. View Source is static text.

Can I see the rendered page?

No — this is a source viewer, not a renderer. Use a sandboxed preview tool if you want to see the rendered output (and only for trusted HTML).

Does it show hidden elements?

Yes — every element in the source is visible regardless of display:none or aria-hidden. Useful for debugging CSS and audit issues.

Will it execute scripts?

Never. Script content is rendered as text; nothing runs. Safe to paste any HTML you want to inspect.

HTML Viewer | DevTools Surf

DevTools Surf

Example: HTML Viewer

A worked example, rendered from real sample data. Sign in to run the tool on your own input.

Input

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head><title>Preview</title></head>
<body>
<h1 style="color:blue">Hello World</h1>
<p>This is a <em>live preview</em> demo.</p>
</body>
</html>

Output

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
  <title>Preview</title>
</head>

<body>
  <h1 style="color:blue">Hello World</h1>
  <p>This is a <em>live preview</em> demo.</p>
</body>

</html>

About HTML Viewer

Preview and inspect HTML in real-time. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the HTML collection.

Use Cases

Frontend devs previewing HTML email templates instantly
Designers checking HTML mockups without a local server
Content editors verifying HTML widget output visually
Students experimenting with HTML and seeing live results

Tips

Preview your HTML to catch visual bugs before deploying
Inspect rendered elements to verify CSS is being applied
Test responsive behavior by resizing the preview panel

Fun Facts

The first web browser, WorldWideWeb (later renamed Nexus), was also an HTML editor, created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990.
Mosaic, released in 1993, was the first browser to display images inline with text, revolutionizing HTML rendering.
Modern browser rendering engines like Blink process over 1,000 CSS properties per element during layout.

FAQ

Is this the same as the browser's View Source?: Similar but interactive — the viewer collapses tags, lets you click to jump between matching open/close pairs, and highlights attributes. View Source is static text.
Can I see the rendered page?: No — this is a source viewer, not a renderer. Use a sandboxed preview tool if you want to see the rendered output (and only for trusted HTML).
Does it show hidden elements?: Yes — every element in the source is visible regardless of display:none or aria-hidden. Useful for debugging CSS and audit issues.
Will it execute scripts?: Never. Script content is rendered as text; nothing runs. Safe to paste any HTML you want to inspect.

Related HTML Tools

HTML Formatter HTML Pretty Print HTML Validator HTML Minify HTML Minifier HTML → Plain Text Accessibility Checker AsciiDoc → HTML