XML Minify
Compact XML by removing whitespace between elements. It runs entirely on your device — nothing is uploaded.
Example
How it works
The XML is parsed and re-serialised with insignificant whitespace removed to reduce size.
Good to know
XML Minify strips the insignificant whitespace — line breaks, indentation, and the spaces between tags — out of an XML document so the result is a single compact string with no change to its structure or data. It's aimed at developers, integrators, and anyone shipping XML over the wire: API payloads, RSS or sitemap feeds, SVG markup, SOAP envelopes, configuration files, or document formats like DOCX/XLSX parts. Paste your XML in, and the tool parses it and re-serialises it without the formatting whitespace, all inside your browser.
Reach for it when file size or bandwidth matters: cutting the whitespace before gzip compression, embedding XML inside another file, trimming response bodies in a high-traffic service, or preparing a sitemap that stays under a size limit. It's the inverse of the related XML Formatter and Pretty Print tools — use those to make XML readable for editing, and minify when you're done and ready to ship.
To read the result, compare the output against your input: the element names, attributes, and text content should be identical, with only the gaps between tags gone. Note that minification only removes whitespace that sits between elements; whitespace that lives inside a text node (for example a sentence inside a paragraph element) is significant and is preserved. If your output looks suspiciously short or throws an error, your input is likely not well-formed XML.
One practical caveat: in some XML vocabularies whitespace is meaningful even between elements — anything inside an xml:space="preserve" region, or mixed content where spacing affects rendering. Check the byte-size difference to confirm you actually saved space, and if your document relies on preserved formatting, validate the minified output before deploying it.
Frequently asked questions
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No — everything runs in your browser. Your code never leaves your device, so it's safe for private work and runs offline once loaded.
Is this tool free?
Yes, completely free with no sign-up and no limits.
People also ask
Does minifying XML change the data or break it?
No. Minifying only removes whitespace between elements; element names, attributes, and text content stay identical, so a well-formed document parses to the same data after minification.
What is the difference between minifying and formatting XML?
Formatting (or pretty-printing) adds indentation and line breaks to make XML readable for humans, while minifying removes that whitespace to make the file as small as possible for transmission or storage. They are opposite operations on the same content.
How much smaller does XML get after minification?
It depends on how heavily the original was indented. Deeply nested, pretty-printed documents can shrink noticeably, while already-compact XML may barely change. The savings shrink further once gzip compression is applied, since gzip already handles repetitive whitespace well.
Is whitespace inside XML text content removed?
No. Whitespace that is part of a text node is considered significant and is preserved. Only the insignificant whitespace between tags, such as indentation and line breaks, is stripped.
Can I minify an XML file that is not well-formed?
Generally no. Minification works by parsing the XML and re-serialising it, so the input must be well-formed. If there are unclosed tags or invalid characters, parsing will fail and you will need to fix the errors first.
Does minifying XML affect xml:space="preserve" sections?
Whitespace inside an element marked with xml:space="preserve" is meant to be kept. If preserving exact spacing in such regions is critical to your application, validate the minified output to confirm it still behaves as expected.
Is it safe to minify XML containing sensitive or private data?
With this tool the processing happens entirely in your browser and nothing is uploaded, so the data does not leave your device. As always, confirm any tool's privacy behavior before pasting confidential content.
Should I minify XML before or after gzip compression?
Minify first, then let the server gzip the result. Minification removes structural whitespace and gzip compresses what remains; combining both typically yields a smaller payload than either alone.
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