Pretty XML

January 25, 2026 · View on GitHub

What is it?

Features
1. Prettify XML (XML Formatting)
2. Pretty XML: Minimize

What is it?

Pretty XML is a XML formatter extension for Visual Studio Code and VSCodium. It formats XML documents just like Visual Studio on Windows.

Supported file extensions:

xml
xaml
axml
xsd
xsl
plist
mobileconfig
config
csproj
svg
resx and all other XML type of files.

There is also Visual Studio for Mac version of this extension. Check it out at PrettyXML.VSMac

Suggestions, improvement PRs are welcome.

prettify gif.

Features

1. Prettify XML (XML Formatting)

Right Click and Select Prettify XML or use shortcut

Position each attribute on a separate line.
First attribute on same line as start element start tag.
All attributes indented aligning with first attribute.
If no child for an element then close inline end tag.
No empty lines.
Supports ' and whitespace unicodes in attribute value for XAML parser compatibility.

1.a. Format Entire Document

Lets you format entire valid XML document.

1.b. Format Selection - Beta

Lets you format part of an XML document. XML can be partial and invalid. This is in beta, so feel free to submit pull request with improvements.

Format Selection Screenshot

Before

Before.

After

After.

2. Pretty XML: Minimize

Minimizes XML.

minimize gif.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Command	Platform	Shortcut
Prettify XML	Mac	Cmd+K L
Prettify XML	Windows, Linux	Control+K L
PrettyXML: Minimize	Mac	Cmd+K `
PrettyXML: Minimize	Windows, Linux	Control+K `

Note

You can change these in Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts if you want.

Settings

These will be for Prettify XML command.

Setting Key	Default Value	Description
prettyxml.settings.indentSpaceLength	4	No. of spaces for indentation.
prettyxml.settings.useSingleQuotes	false	Use ' instead of "
prettyxml.settings.useSelfClosingTag	true	If no child nodes then self closing tag />
prettyxml.settings.formatOnSave	false	Enable format on save
prettyxml.settings.allowSingleQuoteInAttributeValue	true	Allows ' in attribute values instead of '
prettyxml.settings.addSpaceBeforeSelfClosingTag	true	Adds space before self closing tag
prettyxml.settings.wrapCommentTextWithSpaces	true	Wraps comment text with a single space
prettyxml.settings.allowWhiteSpaceUnicodesInAttributeValues	true	Allows white space unicodes in attribute values
prettyxml.settings.positionFirstAttributeOnSameLine	true	Position first attribute on same line.
prettyxml.settings.positionAllAttributesOnFirstLine	false	Position all attributes on first line
prettyxml.settings.preserveWhiteSpacesInComment	false	Preserves whitespaces in a comment.
prettyxml.settings.addSpaceBeforeEndOfXmlDeclaration	false	Add space before end of XML declaration.
prettyxml.settings.addXmlDeclarationIfMissing	true	Add XML declaration if missing.
prettyxml.settings.attributesInNewlineThreshold	1	Attributes count threshold to position attributes in newlines.
prettyxml.settings.enableLogs	false	Enables logs
prettyxml.settings.wildCardedExceptionsForPositionAllAttributesOnFirstLine	Array<string>	Wild card exceptions for elements to ignore positionAllAttributesOnFirstLine
prettyxml.settings.addEmptyLineBetweenElements	false	Add empty line between elements if the child count is greater than 2
prettyxml.settings.preserveNewLines	false	Preserve existing new lines between elements.
prettyxml.settings.preserveCommentPlacement	false	Preserve comment line placement.

Settings Image.

Attributes In Newline Threshold

Example:

Value = 2

Input 1

<Element Attribute1="Value1" Attribute2="Value2" />

Output 1

<Element Attribute1="Value1" Attribute2="Value2" />

Input 2

<Element Attribute1="Value1" Attribute2="Value2" Attribute3="Value3" />

Output 2

<Element Attribute1="Value1"
         Attribute2="Value2"
         Attribute3="Value3"/>

Wild Carded Exceptions For Position All Attributes On First Line

List of element names to ignore Position All Attributes On First Line setting. Include element names or patterns here.

Example:

 "prettyxml.settings.wildCardedExceptionsForPositionAllAttributesOnFirstLine": ["Content*"]

Input 3

<View>
    <Content X="X"
             Y="Y" Z="Z">
        <Label text="{i18>LabelText}" />
        <Input id="Input1" 
               value="{service>description}" />
    </Content>
</View>

Ouput 3

<View>
    <Content X="X"
             Y="Y"
             Z="Z">
        <Label text="{i18>LabelText}" />
        <Input id="Input1" value="{service>description}" />
    </Content>
</View>

Add Empty Line Between Elements

If enabled, and child elements count is greater than 2 then adds empty line between elements.

Note

Please note it wont add empty element before first element and after last element.

Input 4

<Root>
<Element1>Text1</Element1>
<Element2>Text2</Element2>
<Element3>Text3</Element3>
</Root>

Output 4

<Root>
    <Element1>Text1</Element1>

    <Element2>Text2</Element2>

    <Element3>Text3</Element3>
</Root>

Add Xml Declaration If Missing

Adds XML declaration <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> if missing. Default is true.

Preserve New Lines

Preserves existing new lines between elements.

Example: Value = false

Input 5

<Root>
      <Element1>Text1</Element1>


    <Element2>Text2</Element2>

        <Element3>Text3</Element3>
    <Element3>Text4</Element3>
</Root>

Output 5

<Root>
    <Element1>Text1</Element1>
    <Element2>Text2</Element2>
    <Element3>Text3</Element3>
    <Element3>Text4</Element3>
</Root>

Example: Value = true

Input 6

<Root>
      <Element1>Text1</Element1>


    <Element2>Text2</Element2>

        <Element3>Text3</Element3>
    <Element3>Text4</Element3>
</Root>

Output 6

<Root>
    <Element1>Text1</Element1>

    
    <Element2>Text2</Element2>
        
    <Element3>Text3</Element3>
    <Element3>Text4</Element3>
</Root>

Preserve Comment Placement

Preserve existing comment line placement. Default is Unchecked

Checked : Comments remains in their original lines. Unchecked : Comments may be repositioned into other lines according to formatting rules.

Example: Value = false

Input 7

<Root>
    <Element1>Text1</Element1>  <!--A comment-->
    <Element2>Text2</Element2><!--Another comment-->
    <Element3>Text3</Element3>
</Root>

Output 7

<Root>
    <Element1>Text1</Element1>
    <!--A comment-->
    <Element2>Text2</Element2>
    <!--Another comment-->
    <Element3>Text3</Element3>
</Root>

Example: Value = true

Input 8

<Root>
    <Element1>Text1</Element1>    <!--A comment-->
    <Element2>Text2</Element2>   <!--Another comment-->
    <Element3>Text3</Element3>
</Root>

Output 8

<Root>
    <Element1>Text1</Element1><!--A comment-->
    <Element2>Text2</Element2><!--Another comment-->
    <Element3>Text3</Element3>
</Root>

Requirements

DotNet 10 installed on your machine and should be accessible through terminal.
Install Muhammad-Sammy C# or Microsoft C# extension.
Visual Studio Code/VSCodium 1.99.1 or higher.

Installation

Visual Studio Code - Visual Studio MarketPlace

For VSCodium - open-vsx.org

Known Issues

Limited DTD support.
Formats valid XML files only. Syntax errors are displayed.

Issues can be reported at issues section

For more information

Source Code
If you want to support this project,