About XML Pretty Print

Pretty print XML with syntax highlighting. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the XML collection.

Use Cases

• Developers presenting XML configs in technical documentation
• Architects reviewing XML schema definitions during design reviews
• Support engineers sharing readable XML logs with customers
• Trainers creating syntax-highlighted XML examples for workshops

Tips

• Use syntax highlighting to spot mismatched opening and closing tags
• Toggle between dark and light themes for comfortable reading
• Line numbers help when referencing specific elements in code reviews

Fun Facts

• The first XML editors with syntax highlighting appeared in the late 1990s, with tools like XMLSpy launching in 1999.
• XML color coding typically uses 4-5 distinct colors: elements, attributes, values, comments, and processing instructions.
• Pretty-printed XML can be 3-5x larger than its minified form due to added whitespace and line breaks.

FAQ

How is this different from XML Formatter?

Pretty print adds syntax highlighting and an option to sort attributes alphabetically. Formatter focuses on indentation only. Use pretty-print for code reviews and docs.

Does it resolve namespaces?

No — prefixes are displayed as written. Use the XML Parser if you want fully-qualified element names.

What gets colored?

Tags, attributes, attribute values, text content, and comments each get a distinct color. The copy output is plain text — colors are display only.

Can I control indentation width?

Yes — 2-space, 4-space, or tab. The default is 2-space to match most style guides.