XML Sitemap Validator
Free, no signup.
Nothing throws an error when a sitemap tag is malformed or lastmod has gone
stale — it just quietly stops helping discovery. Paste your sitemap, upload a file, or fetch
one by URL, and get every problem grouped by severity, with line numbers and a health score.
URL mode fetches through this site’s proxy (rate-limited). If it’s ever unavailable, paste mode always works.
Example data — replace with your own
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you paste is uploaded or stored. Fetch by URL uses this site's proxy to retrieve the file only; validation still happens in your browser. Anonymous run-level outcome counters may be used for aggregate research; URLs, domains, IPs, and identifiers are never included, and no statistic is released below 100 runs.
Sample report Example data — real, engine-verified result
Paste a sitemap with a common mistake — an unescaped ampersand in a URL:
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/products?id=1&cat=shoes</loc>
<lastmod>2026-02-15</lastmod>
</url> …and Validate reports a score of 70, with two errors:
- Two errors, one root cause. The bare
&both breaks XML well-formedness and trips the escaping check — the parser and the per-entry rules both catch it independently, which is why it costs 30 points (15 each) — see what it checks. - Same fix for both. Encode it as
&so the URL reads?id=1&cat=shoes, then re-run — both findings clear at once. - Why this score? is not decoration — it lists exactly these two deductions so you know which fix moves the number, rather than guessing.
- Once it's clean, confirm the URLs inside actually resolve with the Bulk HTTP Status Code Checker, or read XML sitemapsAn XML sitemap is a UTF-8 file listing the canonical URLs on your site (with optional lastmod) so search engines can discover and prioritize them. It's a discovery and diagnostic aid, not a guarantee of indexing — and Google ignores its priority and changefreq tags. for what else belongs in the file.
Valid XML can still contain the wrong URLs
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
<url><loc>https://shop.example/products/trail-runner</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://shop.example/products/old-trail-shoe</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://shop.example/account/login</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://shop.example/sale/spring-2025</loc></url>
<url><loc>https://staging.shop.example/products/test</loc></url>
</urlset> This file can be structurally valid while the second URL redirects, the login page is noindexed, the campaign is expired, and the final row leaks a staging hostname. XML validation can catch the off-host entry, but status, canonical, indexability, and lifecycle checks require a crawl of the extracted URLs. Use this validator first, then send its URL inventory to the status checker. The dataset is illustrative and uses reserved `.example` domains.
How to use it
- Paste your sitemap XML, upload a file (
.xmlor gzipped.xml.gz), or fetch by URL. - Press Validate. You get a health score, a plain-English summary, and every problem grouped by severity with line numbers.
- Open Why this score? to see exactly which deductions pulled the number down.
- Export the findings as CSV or JSON, or copy a share link.
+ saves the current site or page. Use ☆ beside any saved site, page, or list to favorite it. Recent check history appears below.
Create a named list
Target filled from your local choices.
Site passport Local context for this saved site
Local data
Saved targets, named lists, and recent check summaries remain only in this browser.
Why this score?
Rate this tool
How it works
Validation runs in your browser against the sitemaps.org 0.9 schema and Google's
published rules. It parses the XML, then checks two layers: structure (well-formed
XML, correct namespace, valid root element, sitemap-index vs urlset) and per-entry
rules (absolute URLs, valid <lastmod> dates, the 50,000-URL / 50 MB limits,
escaped ampersands, and so on). Each problem is weighted, and the health score is what's left after
the deductions.
Pasted and uploaded files never leave your machine. Fetch by URL is the one mode that uses the server — only to pull the bytes, because browsers can't fetch another origin — and it's rate-limited; paste mode always works.
What it checks
- Well-formed XML and the correct sitemaps.org namespace.
- Sitemap index vs URL set, and that indexes point at real sub-sitemaps.
- Absolute, properly escaped URLs on the same host.
- Valid
<lastmod>dates in W3C format. - The hard limits: 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed per file.
- Common warnings — missing entries, unexpected tags, encoding issues.
Features
- Paste, upload (incl. gzip), or fetch by URL.
- Health score with an itemised "why" breakdown.
- Errors and warnings grouped by severity, each with a line number.
- CSV and JSON export, plus a shareable link.
- Handles large files — full structural check, with entry rules sampled over the first 5,000 entries.
- Privacy: pasted/uploaded sitemaps are validated entirely client-side.
Limitations
It validates the sitemap's format and structure — it does not crawl the URLs inside it, so it won't tell you whether those pages return 200, are indexable, or are canonical. For very large sitemaps, entry-level rules run on a sample (the structure is still checked in full). Fetch-by-URL reads the file as served to this tool; a sitemap that's generated dynamically or gated may differ from what Googlebot receives.
Frequently asked questions
What makes an XML sitemap valid?
It must be well-formed XML using the sitemaps.org 0.9 namespace, with absolute URLs on the same host, valid W3C-format lastmod dates, properly escaped characters (for example & written as &), and no more than 50,000 URLs or 50 MB uncompressed per file. The validator checks all of these and scores the result.
How many URLs can a sitemap contain?
A single sitemap file is limited to 50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed. If you have more, split them across multiple sitemaps and list those in a sitemap index file, which can itself reference up to 50,000 sitemaps.
Does a valid sitemap guarantee my pages get indexed?
No. A sitemap helps search engines discover URLs, but it is a hint, not a command. Pages still have to be crawlable, indexable (no noindex, not blocked by robots.txt), canonical, and worth indexing. A clean sitemap improves discovery; it does not force indexing.
Does lastmod need to be accurate?
Yes. Google only trusts lastmod when it is consistently accurate. If every URL shows today’s date on every export, the signal becomes noise and is ignored. Set lastmod to the date the page’s content actually changed, and leave it alone otherwise.
Can a sitemap list URLs from a different domain?
Generally no — all URLs should be on the same host as the sitemap file. Cross-domain URLs are only valid under specific Search Console cross-submission setups. The validator flags off-host URLs so you can catch accidental staging or CDN hostnames.
Feature requests for Sitemap Validator
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Sobre a ferramenta
Um sitemap desatualizado deixa de ajudar silenciosamente na descoberta. Cole seu sitemap, envie um arquivo ou busque uma URL.
Cole o conteúdo, envie um arquivo (inclusive gzip) ou informe uma URL para busca.
Recursos
- O arquivo deve ser XML bem formado, usar o namespace sitemaps.org 0.9, conter URLs absolutas no mesmo host, datas lastmod em formato W3C válido e caracteres devidamente escapados (por exemplo, & escrito como &). O validador verifica tudo isso e calcula a pontuação do resultado.
- Um único arquivo de sitemap é limitado a 50.000 URLs e 50 MB descompactados. Se precisar de mais, divida o conteúdo entre vários sitemaps e liste-os em um arquivo de índice, que pode referenciar até 50.000 sitemaps.
- Arquivos colados e enviados nunca saem da sua máquina. Buscar por URL é o único modo que faz uma solicitação de rede.
- Pressione Validar. Você verá uma pontuação de saúde, um resumo em linguagem simples e cada linha de evidência com sua correção.
Como funciona
A ferramenta aplica as regras publicadas, analisa o XML e executa duas camadas de verificação: estrutura (XML bem formado, namespace e limites) e conteúdo (URLs, lastmod, caracteres escapados e hospedagem). Cada achado mantém linha, evidência e correção.
Limitações
- A ferramenta valida o formato e a estrutura do sitemap, mas não rastreia as URLs contidas nele.
- Um arquivo pode ser estruturalmente válido enquanto uma segunda URL redireciona ou a página de login é retornada; use uma ferramenta de status ou rastreamento para verificar o comportamento das URLs.
Perguntas frequentes
O que torna um sitemap XML válido?
XML bem formado e o namespace sitemaps.org correto, com URLs absolutas no mesmo host e uma estrutura compatível com o protocolo.
Quantas URLs um sitemap pode conter?
Os limites rígidos são 50.000 URLs e 50 MB descompactados por arquivo.
O lastmod precisa ser preciso?
Sim. O Google confia em lastmod somente quando ele é consistentemente preciso. Se todas as URLs mostrarem a data de hoje em cada exportação, o sinal vira ruído e é ignorado. Defina lastmod para a data em que o conteúdo da página realmente mudou e deixe-o intacto caso contrário.
Um sitemap pode listar URLs de outro domínio?
Em geral, não: todas as URLs devem usar o mesmo host do arquivo de sitemap. URLs entre domínios só são válidas em configurações específicas de envio cruzado no Search Console. O validador sinaliza hosts externos para ajudar a capturar staging ou CDN acidentais.