Strip the indentation from XML without touching the data
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. Updated on 24 Oct 2026.Indentation is often more than half of a formatted XML file, and it costs bandwidth on every request that carries it. This page removes the whitespace between elements and, if you want, the comments. Text that has content in it is copied exactly, because in XML that text is the data, so the document that comes out means precisely what went in.
The page opens in Minify mode; paste the document into the XML box.
Under Remove, choose Whitespace between elements and Comments.
Read Before, After and the percentage smaller; text content is copied exactly.
Press Copy or Download to take the minified XML.
This XML formatter does three jobs from one box. Format indents the document as a tree, one element per line, at two spaces, four spaces or a tab. Validate checks that the document is well formed and, when it is not, gives you the first real problem with its line and column. Minify strips the indentation and, if you want, the comments, and shows the bytes saved.
The validator checks what XML actually requires: one root element, every tag closed by its own name in the right order, attribute values in quotes and never set twice, ampersands written as entities, and nothing but whitespace and comments outside the root. Messages say what to change, such as which element was opened earlier and has to be closed first. It does not check against a DTD or an XSD schema; it checks that the document is well formed, which is the failure people actually hit.
Minifying removes only whitespace that sits between elements, because in XML the text inside an element is data. Text with content in it, along with CDATA sections, is copied character for character. Everything runs in your browser, so payloads with customer records in them never leave your device.
The rest of the article, and all 6 questions about XML Formatter & Validator, are on the XML Formatter & Validator page.
Yes. No signup, no document size limit and no cap on how often you use it. The page is paid for by a few ads shown outside the tool, and nothing is added to your document.
No. Formatting, validating and minifying all run in your browser with JavaScript. A payload containing customer records, order numbers or an internal endpoint never leaves your device and is not stored anywhere.
No. Only whitespace between elements is removed, because that is indentation a formatter added. Text inside an element is the data, so it is copied exactly, and CDATA sections are left untouched. Comments are removed unless you keep them.
Yes. Both are ordinary XML. Paste the whole response, including the XML declaration, and it comes back as an indented tree. Namespace prefixes such as soap: and content: are element names like any other and are preserved.
Still stuck? Ask about XML Formatter & Validator and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
Same job, other tools: JSON Minifier – Strip whitespace from JSON for production · HTML Minifier – Strip comments and spare whitespace from HTML and see the saving · CSS Minifier – Compress a stylesheet and see exactly how many bytes you saved.
On the related tools: GraphQL Validator – Check a GraphQL query or schema for errors, optionally against your own SDL.
In the collection Code Formatters and Minifiers.