WebToolsPlanet
Converter Tools

HTML to XML Converter

Paste HTML and convert it to well-formed XML. Void elements are self-closed, tags are lowercased, attributes are escaped, and the structure is properly indented.

Last updated: May 21, 2026

Client-Side Processing
Input Data Stays on Device
Instant Local Execution
Something wrong with this tool? Report it

Find this tool useful? Support the project to keep it free!

Buy me a coffee

What is HTML to XML Converter?

HTML and XML look similar but have important differences: HTML is lenient about unclosed tags and void elements like <br> and <img>, while XML requires every element to be explicitly opened and closed or self-closed. Converting HTML to XML (sometimes called XHTML) means enforcing these rules so the markup can be processed by XML parsers, XSLT stylesheets, or APIs that consume XML.

This converter uses the browser's built-in HTML parser to correctly interpret the input — including implied closing tags — then re-serialises it as well-formed XML with proper indentation, self-closed void elements, lowercased tag names, and escaped attribute values.

How to Use HTML to XML Converter

1

Paste HTML into the input area or click "Load Sample"

2

Toggle XML Declaration on or off

3

Toggle whether to preserve HTML comments

4

Choose 2 or 4 space indentation

5

Copy the XML output or download it as an .xml file

Common Use Cases

  • Developers preparing HTML content for processing by XSLT stylesheets that require valid XML input.
  • Architects converting HTML reports to XML for ingestion into enterprise data pipelines.
  • Teams migrating HTML email templates to XML-based templating systems.
  • Developers extracting structured data from HTML pages by converting to XML for XPath queries.
  • Engineers converting scraped HTML to well-formed XML before storing in an XML database.
  • Developers transforming HTML documentation to XML format for publishing pipelines.

Example Input and Output

An HTML fragment with void elements and an attribute is converted to well-formed XML.

HTML input
<div class="card">
  <h2>Hello World</h2>
  <img src="photo.jpg" alt="A photo">
  <p>Visit <a href="https://example.com">example.com</a> for more.</p>
  <br>
  <input type="text" placeholder="Enter name">
</div>
XML output
<div class="card">
  <h2>Hello World</h2>
  <img src="photo.jpg" alt="A photo"/>
  <p>Visit <a href="https://example.com">example.com</a> for more.</p>
  <br/>
  <input type="text" placeholder="Enter name"/>
</div>

Privacy

All conversion runs in your browser. No data is uploaded to any server.

Namespace handling

HTML parsed by the browser's DOMParser is placed in the HTML namespace. If you need explicit XML namespaces (xmlns attributes) for use with specific XML schemas, add them manually to the root element after conversion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes XML "well-formed"?

Well-formed XML means: every element has a closing tag or is self-closed, elements are properly nested, attribute values are quoted, and there is exactly one root element. HTML does not enforce these rules, but XML parsers do.

What are void elements?

Void elements are HTML elements that cannot have children: <br>, <hr>, <img>, <input>, <link>, <meta>, and others. In HTML, they do not need a closing tag. In XML, they must be written as self-closing: <br/>, <img src="..."/>, etc.

What is the difference between HTML to XML and HTML Beautifier?

HTML Beautifier reformats valid HTML. HTML to XML changes the markup from HTML syntax to XML syntax — self-closing void elements, guaranteed closing tags, lowercased names. The output is intended for XML parsers, not browsers.

Can I convert a full HTML document (with <!DOCTYPE html>)?

Yes. The converter detects whether the input is a full document or a fragment. Full documents (starting with <!DOCTYPE html> or <html>) produce output wrapped in <html>...</html>. Fragments produce unwrapped output.

Is my HTML sent to a server?

No. All parsing and conversion runs in your browser using the built-in DOMParser. Your HTML never leaves your device.

Related Tools

Part of Collections