XML Sort

Sort sibling XML elements alphabetically by tag name while preserving attributes

Input

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Output

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What is XML Sort

Last reviewed: April 18, 2026

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a strict, tag-based format used for documents, SOAP APIs, RSS feeds, and many enterprise and publishing systems.

XML Sort parses your XML document and recursively reorders sibling elements by tag name. Attributes, text content, and CDATA blocks are preserved.

It's useful for producing diff-friendly XML — especially in config-heavy ecosystems like Android layouts, XAML, or Maven / Gradle POMs.

Why use it

Produce canonical XML for source-control diffs.
Organise large config files for readability.
Simplify code review of XML payloads.
Feed deterministic input into schema validators.
Clean up auto-generated XML before commits.

Features

Recursive alphabetical sort by tag name
Preserves attributes, text, CDATA
localeCompare-based stable ordering
Emits formatted output after sorting
Runs offline once loaded, great for private XML Sort

How to use XML Sort

Paste XML. Drop the XML document to sort.
Click Run. Sibling elements are reordered alphabetically.
Copy result. Use the sorted XML in your commit or review.

Example (before/after)

Unsorted XML

<root>
  <user>Ada</user>
  <id>7</id>
</root>

Sorted XML

<root>
  <id>7</id>
  <user>Ada</user>
</root>

Common errors

Semantic order matters

Some XML schemas require a specific element order.

Fix: Avoid sorting schema-validated XML (e.g., XSLT, XHTML) where element order has meaning.

Invalid XML

Unsortable documents show a parser error.

Fix: Run XML Parser or formatter first to fix the structure.

FAQ

Is sorting recursive?

Yes — every nested element's children are sorted too.

Are attributes sorted?

No — attributes remain in their original order.

Does it preserve comments and CDATA?

Yes — they are preserved in their relative positions.

Is sorting locale-aware?

It uses JavaScript's localeCompare for stable cross-locale ordering.

Is my data uploaded?

No — the sort runs client-side.

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