How and with what to open an XML file

XML is an extensible markup language format for creating, storing, and communicating structured data. Thanks to the ability to add custom tags for specific needs, it is suitable for, for example, financial documentation, application and website development, and more.

There are several ways to open these files. Here are the most popular ones.

How and with what to open an XML file on a computer

There are many ways to view XML on a PC: browsers, text editors, office applications. The choice depends on your goals, desires and availability of this or that software.

Browser

If you only need to view the contents of a file, this is the easiest way. Moreover, XML usually opens by default in a standard OS browser. This option is suitable even if there is no Internet access.

Open Chrome, Safari, Edge or other browser and simply drag and drop the XML file into it.

As a result, the structure of the document will be displayed with the ability to view values ​​and collapse certain sections.

Built-in text editor

Suitable if you need to not only view, but also edit any data inside XML. You can use, for example, Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on macOS.

Right-click on the XML file and select "Open With", then select the desired application.

You can now view, edit, or delete rows. And then just click on the menu "File" → "Save".

Microsoft Word

A variant for cases when you are interested in the information itself inside the XML, and not its structure. Unlike regular text editors Word can display data in a formatted and more readable form.

Find the file on the disk and right-click in the same way, then select "Open with" → Word.

The information will be displayed in formatted form.

Microsoft Excel

When you need to open XML to extract data from it for later use in tables, it is convenient to immediately do this in excel.

Right-click on the file and select "Open with" → Microsoft Excel from the context menu.

The content of the document will be divided into cells while maintaining the structure. Data from them can be freely copied and pasted into other tables one by one or several cells at once.

How and with what to open an XML file on a smartphone

While there are dedicated XML viewer applications, it's easiest to use built-in tools on mobile devices. These are available in both Android and iOS.

On an Android smartphone

Tap on the XML file and confirm opening in the "HTML Viewer" by clicking "Only now" or "Always".

The contents of the file will be displayed on the screen. By tapping on the arrows, you can expand and collapse sections.

On iPhone

On iOS, the principle is the same. Tap on the XML and choose to open it in the built-in Files app, or run the document directly through it.

How and with what to open an XML file on any device online

There are also web viewers that come in handy if you don't have any applications for working with XML files and don't like the built-in tools. Instead of installing special programs, you can use one of the following sites:

• Code Beautify →
• JSON Formatter →
• tutorialspoint →

They all work pretty much the same. Let's take a look at Code Beautify as an example.

Upload the file by clicking on the Browse button and specifying the location on the device.

The XML structure will be shown on the left, and one of the display options that you can switch between will be shown on the right. Export to other formats is also available.