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Upload a sitemap.xml file for a line-by-line audit. This validator detects XML syntax errors, protocol issues, duplicate URLs, and sitemap warnings with line numbers and code snippets. Edit the sitemap in the built-in editor, fix issues, and validate again in the browser.
Drop your sitemap.xml here
or click to browse · .xml files only
Fix errors top-to-bottom: One missing bracket or unclosed tag can generate dozens of cascading warnings. Always address the topmost error and re-validate before moving down the list.
Encode ampersands in URLs: URL parameters containing & must be written as & in XML. For example, ?a=1&b=2 becomes ?a=1&b=2.
Click issues to jump to the exact line: Each result item is clickable and moves the editor cursor to the flagged line so you can inspect the problem.
Use the stats panel for a quick health check: The statistics cards show your URL count, error/warning totals, file size, and sitemap type at a glance. Compare these against your expectations to catch generation problems.
SEO Specialists: Validate client sitemaps before submitting to Google Search Console. Copy the error report to include in your audit deliverable.
Web Developers: Check sitemap output from CMS plugins, static site generators, or custom scripts. Use the built-in editor to test fixes right away without re-deploying.
Site Owners: After a site migration or redesign, upload your new sitemap to confirm all URLs use the correct domain and protocol before search engines recrawl.
SEO Agencies: Audit client sitemaps before delivery. The browser-based workflow checks the file without sending it to a server.
Prefer to paste content instead of uploading a file? Try our Sitemap XML Checker.
Drag and drop your sitemap.xml file into the upload zone, or click to browse. Once the content loads into the editor, click "Validate" to scan for XML syntax errors, missing tags, invalid URLs, duplicate entries, and protocol violations. Each issue includes its line number, the flagged code snippet, and a clear explanation.
The validator checks XML well-formedness, correct sitemap namespace declaration, required <loc> tags with absolute URLs, <lastmod> date formatting (W3C Datetime), <changefreq> allowed values, <priority> range (0.0–1.0), unescaped ampersands, duplicate URLs, and the 50,000-URL limit per file. It also validates <sitemapindex> files with the same rules.
Yes. The built-in CodeMirror editor lets you make corrections directly. After fixing an issue, click "Validate" again to refresh the highlights and update the issue list. Red highlights mark parsing errors; yellow highlights mark warnings that may affect sitemap quality but do not stop XML parsing.
No. Your file is read locally by the browser and is not sent to a server. Validation runs in your browser, with no sign-up required. You can check sitemaps that contain staging URLs or unpublished page links without uploading the file.
A single sitemap.xml file may contain up to 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50 MB uncompressed. If your site has more URLs, split them into multiple sitemap files and list them in a <sitemapindex> file. This validator supports both formats.
Upload a sitemap.xml file to get a line-by-line audit of errors and warnings. The validator checks XML syntax, sitemap protocol compliance, and common formatting mistakes, then highlights the code snippet for each issue.
This tool processes the sitemap in your browser. A built-in CodeMirror XML editor lets you make corrections and validate again without re-uploading after each fix. The validator handles both standard <urlset> sitemaps and <sitemapindex> files with the same checks, whether you are validating a client sitemap before Google Search Console submission, debugging CMS plugin output, or verifying a sitemap after a migration. No sign-up is required, and the file is not sent to a server.
<sitemapindex> files that reference multiple sub-sitemaps. The checker applies the same namespace, URL format, and date validation rules to index files.| Error Type | Example | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Unescaped ampersand | page?a=1&b=2 | Replace & with & in all URL parameters. |
| Relative URL in <loc> | /about-us | Use the full absolute URL: https://example.com/about-us. |
| Invalid <lastmod> format | 2024/03/15 | Use W3C Datetime format: 2024-03-15 or 2024-03-15T14:30:00+00:00. |
| <priority> out of range | 1.5 | Set a value between 0.0 and 1.0. The default is 0.5. |
| Duplicate <loc> entries | Same URL listed twice | Remove duplicates. Each URL must appear only once per sitemap file. |
| Missing XML namespace | <urlset> without xmlns | Add xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9" to the root element. |
| Non-ASCII characters in URL | https://example.com/café | Percent-encode non-ASCII characters: https://example.com/caf%C3%A9. |
| Sitemap exceeds 50,000 URLs | 75,000 entries in one file | Split into multiple sitemap files and create a <sitemapindex> file. |
&), spaces, and non-ASCII characters must be properly encoded. Replace & with &, spaces with %20, and percent-encode characters like é as %C3%A9.<loc> value must start with http:// or https://. Relative paths such as /about are rejected by search engines.sitemap.xml.gz. The sitemap protocol accepts gzip-compressed files. Note: this validator checks the uncompressed content.