XML file: How to open? The best software for opening xml files

XML

XML document

File type: Internet related file, Database file, Source code and script file, Text file

An XML file extension is commonly used for files written in Extensible Markup Language. An XML file is used in various areas of the computer industry, and many program languages are just derivatives of XML. These XML files can be opened and edited in any text editor or IDE.

What is xml file?

File type category:
Internet related file
Database file
Source code and script file
Text file

Date updated: June 27, 2025

File extension xml is commonly used for files written in Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a simple, very flexible text format derived from SGML (ISO 8879). Originally designed to meet the challenges of large-scale electronic publishing, XML also plays an increasingly important role in exchanging various data on the Web and elsewhere.

XML is a human-readable, machine-understandable, general syntax for describing hierarchical data, applicable to various applications (databases, e-commerce, Java, web development, searching, etc.).

XML custom tags enable data definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation between applications and organizations.

XML is a subset of SGML and is a metalanaguage providing the rules and conventions to create other languages following these rules. These other languages are called XML-applications.

There are thousands of XML-applications such as MathML (Mathematics Markup Language), CML (Chemical Markup Language), CDF, OSD, HDML (Handheld Device Markup Language), RDF (Resource Description Framework), MML (Music Markup Language)

XML documents can be created with any text-editor just like HTML documents or dynamically by program. XML, however, is much stricter with its rules. XML documents need to be well-formed (e.g. element names, i.e. tags, are case sensitive and must be ended, unlike HTML) and for data vailidity they also need to be valid (i.e. be associated with a DTD which contains definitions of and relationships between elements).

XML MIME types:

MIME types:
text/xml
application/xml

How to open xml file?

Use any specialized XML editor software, IDE, or any text editor to edit and view the contents of XML file format.

How to convert xml file?

XMLs are used for many purposes, and it is a standard format for exports and interchange data so many types of conversions are possible.

Suggested software to open xml file:

Associated software actions with the xml file

Open

Software applications that can open xml files:

ConTEXT (Microsoft Windows)

Stylus Studio (Microsoft Windows)

NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)

CoffeeCup HTML Editor (Microsoft Windows)

XML:Wrench (Microsoft Windows)

Source Edit (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

XML Edita (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

TextEdit (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)

gedit (Linux/Unix)

oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)

RecordEditor (Multiplatform)

Geany (Multiplatform)

Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)

LibreOffice Calc (Multiplatform)

Edit

Software applications that can edit xml files:

ConTEXT (Microsoft Windows)

Stylus Studio (Microsoft Windows)

NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)

CoffeeCup HTML Editor (Microsoft Windows)

XML:Wrench (Microsoft Windows)

Source Edit (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

XML Edita (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

TextEdit (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)

gedit (Linux/Unix)

oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)

RecordEditor (Multiplatform)

Geany (Multiplatform)

Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)

LibreOffice Calc (Multiplatform)

Save

Software capable of saving xml files:

ConTEXT (Microsoft Windows)

Stylus Studio (Microsoft Windows)

NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)

CoffeeCup HTML Editor (Microsoft Windows)

XML:Wrench (Microsoft Windows)

Source Edit (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

XML Edita (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

TextEdit (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)

gedit (Linux/Unix)

oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)

RecordEditor (Multiplatform)

Geany (Multiplatform)

Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)

LibreOffice Calc (Multiplatform)

View

Programs for viewing xml files:

Microsoft Edge (Microsoft Windows)

Create

Software apps that create xml files:

NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)

ConTEXT (Microsoft Windows)

Stylus Studio (Microsoft Windows)

CoffeeCup HTML Editor (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

XML Edita (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

TextEdit (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)

gedit (Linux/Unix)

oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)

RecordEditor (Multiplatform)

Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)

LibreOffice Calc (Multiplatform)

Convert

Software apps that convert xml files:

Full Convert Pro (Microsoft Windows)

SubtitleConverter.Net (On-line services)

Import

Software apps that import xml files:

Navicat Premium (Microsoft Windows)

XMill (Microsoft Windows)

PyGlossary (Microsoft Windows)

NKI Tool (Microsoft Windows)

ColorSchemer Studio (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Quick Pallet Maker (Multiplatform)

Toodledo (Multiplatform)

XSL Transformer - XSLT (On-line services)

Export

Software apps that export xml files:

Navicat Premium (Microsoft Windows)

VCF To XML Converter (Microsoft Windows)

CSV2XML (Microsoft Windows)

Enthuware Test Studio (Microsoft Windows)

Pyxel Edit (Microsoft Windows)

OpenBio (Microsoft Windows)

NKI Tool (Microsoft Windows)

xPlan (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

aSc TimeTables (Multiplatform)

GnuCash (Multiplatform)

Toodledo (Multiplatform)

LibreOffice Calc (Multiplatform)

JSON formatter (On-line services)