HTML Formatter & Beautifier - Format HTML Online

Format and beautify HTML code online for free. Transform messy, minified, or poorly indented HTML into clean, readable code. Our HTML formatter applies proper indentation, adds line breaks, and organizes your markup for better readability and maintenance.

What Is an HTML Formatter?

An HTML formatter (also called beautifier or pretty-printer) takes HTML code and restructures it with consistent indentation, proper line breaks, and organized structure. It makes your HTML easier to read, debug, and maintain without changing how it renders in browsers.

Before formatting:

<div><p>Hello</p><ul><li>Item 1</li><li>Item 2</li></ul></div>

After formatting:

<div>
  <p>Hello</p>
  <ul>
    <li>Item 1</li>
    <li>Item 2</li>
  </ul>
</div>

How to Use

1. Paste HTML code - Enter messy or minified HTML
2. Set options - Choose indent size and style
3. Click "Format" - Beautify your code
4. Copy result - Use the cleaned HTML
5. Download if needed - Save to file

Key Features

• Instant formatting - Real-time beautification
• Custom indentation - 2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tabs
• Preserve content - Formatting-sensitive content protected
• No validation required - Works with imperfect HTML
• One-click copy - Easy clipboard access
• No file size limit - Handle large documents

Formatting Options

Use Cases

Development

• Code cleanup - Organize team codebases
• Debugging - Find issues in readable code
• Code review - Review properly formatted changes
• Learning - Understand HTML structure better
• Refactoring - Clean up legacy code

Maintenance

• Legacy projects - Clean old HTML files
• Minified code - Expand for editing
• Generated HTML - Format CMS output
• Template editing - Clean up templates
• Documentation - Presentable code samples

Collaboration

• Consistent style - Team formatting standards
• Version control - Cleaner diffs
• Code sharing - Readable snippets
• Teaching - Properly formatted examples

HTML Formatting Best Practices

Indentation Guidelines

<!-- Good: Consistent 2-space indentation -->
<div>
  <header>
    <h1>Title</h1>
  </header>
  <main>
    <p>Content</p>
  </main>
</div>

Self-Closing Tags

<!-- HTML5 style -->
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description">
<input type="text">
<br>

<!-- XHTML style (also valid) -->
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description" />
<input type="text" />
<br />

Attribute Formatting

<!-- Short elements: single line -->
<a href="/page" class="link">Click here</a>

<!-- Many attributes: multi-line -->
<input
  type="text"
  name="username"
  id="username"
  class="form-input"
  placeholder="Enter username"
  required
>

What the Formatter Does

Inline vs. Block Elements

The formatter treats elements differently:

Block Elements (New Lines)

<div>, <p>, <h1>-<h6>, <ul>, <li>, <table>, <form>, <header>, <footer>, <section>, <article>, <nav>, <aside>

Inline Elements (Same Line Option)

<span>, <a>, <strong>, <em>, <img>, <br>, <code>, <b>, <i>

Frequently Asked Questions

Will formatting change how my page looks?

No. HTML formatting only affects source code appearance. Browsers ignore extra whitespace, so your rendered page remains identical.

What about whitespace-sensitive content?

Content within <pre>, <code>, <textarea>, and <script> tags is preserved to maintain its intended formatting.

Can I format partial HTML?

Yes! You don't need complete documents. The formatter handles snippets, components, and fragments.

Does it validate my HTML?

This tool focuses on formatting, not validation. It will format even invalid HTML, though the output may not be correct markup.

What indent size should I use?

2 spaces is most common in web development. 4 spaces is also popular. Use whatever your team standard specifies.

Will it mess up my inline JavaScript or CSS?

Inline scripts and styles are preserved. For better organization, consider external files formatted with appropriate tools.

Common HTML Mistakes Fixed by Formatting