What is an HTML Formatter?
An HTML Formatter (also called an HTML Beautifier or HTML Prettifier) takes compact or messy HTML and reformats it with consistent indentation, making it easy to read and edit. This tool formats and minifies HTML directly in your browser — your code is never sent to any server.
How to Use
- Paste your HTML into the input box on the left
- Select your preferred indent style (2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tab)
- Click Format to beautify, or Minify to compress
- Click Copy to copy the output to your clipboard
The validator runs automatically as you type — a green indicator means your HTML structure is valid, red means there are unclosed or mismatched tags.
Format vs. Minify
| Mode | What it does | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Adds consistent indentation, one element per line | Reading, editing, code review |
| Minify | Removes comments and whitespace between tags | Production builds, reducing HTML payload size |
What the Minifier Removes
- HTML comments (
<!-- ... -->) - Whitespace between tags (spaces, tabs, newlines)
Script (<script>) and style (<style>) block contents are preserved exactly as written.
HTML Validation
The tool checks for basic structural errors:
- Unclosed tags — every block element that opens must close:
<div>needs</div> - Mismatched tags —
<div><p>text</div>is invalid because<p>was not closed before</div>
Void elements (<br>, <img>, <input>, <hr>, <meta>, <link>, etc.) do not need a closing tag and are always treated as valid.
Indentation Options
| Option | Character | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 2 spaces | | Most common for HTML/CSS |
| 4 spaces | | Common in some editors |
| Tab | \t | Respects editor tab-width settings |
Byte Savings
After minification, the tool shows how many bytes were saved and the percentage reduction. This is the uncompressed saving — gzip or Brotli compression on top typically reduces HTML by a further 60–80%.
Privacy
All processing runs locally in your browser using JavaScript. No HTML is ever uploaded, stored or logged. You can use this tool offline once the page has loaded.