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XML Sitemap Validator

Check a sitemap for the errors that make Google reject it.

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Quick Tool Overview

The XML Sitemap Validator lists every URL in a pasted sitemap with its lastmod, changefreq and priority, and checks the things that actually get a sitemap rejected: unescaped ampersands, malformed dates, relative URLs, mixed hosts and the 50,000 URL and 50MB limits. Sitemap index files are detected and handled separately.

What it does
Validates an XML sitemap and lists everything in it
You give it
A sitemap or a sitemap index, as XML
You get back
Errors with their causes, plus every URL as an exportable list
Best for
Debugging a rejected sitemap and auditing what is actually in one
SEO Tools Free, unlimited use No sign-up Runs in your browser

About the XML Sitemap Validator

Paste a sitemap and every URL in it is listed with its lastmod, changefreq and priority, checked against the sitemap protocol and against the limits Google enforces. Sitemap index files are recognised and their child sitemaps listed separately.

The errors that actually get a sitemap rejected are mostly boring, which is why they survive to production. Ampersands and angle brackets in URLs must be escaped as entities, and a single raw ampersand invalidates the whole file. lastmod must be a W3C datetime — a full ISO date, not 12/03/2026 and not "yesterday". A sitemap may hold 50,000 URLs and must stay under 50MB uncompressed. URLs must be absolute and on the same host as the sitemap. Each of these is checked, along with the softer problems: duplicate URLs, mixed protocols and priority values that Google has ignored for years.

Key features of the XML Sitemap Validator

Finds the real errors

A single raw ampersand invalidates a whole sitemap. Those are found and shown in place.

W3C date checking

lastmod must be a proper ISO date, and anything else is flagged rather than silently ignored.

Limits enforced

URL count and uncompressed size are measured against the 50,000 and 50MB caps.

Index files understood

A sitemapindex is recognised and its child sitemaps listed rather than treated as broken URLs.

Exportable URL list

Copy every URL as plain text, ready for a crawl or a spreadsheet.

How to use the XML Sitemap Validator

  1. 1

    Paste your sitemap

    The XML itself. A sitemap index file works too and is detected automatically.

  2. 2

    Read the errors first

    Unescaped characters and malformed dates are what stop a sitemap being read at all.

  3. 3

    Check the limits

    URL count and file size are measured against the 50,000 and 50MB caps.

  4. 4

    Export the URL list

    Copy every URL as plain text, which is a useful starting point for a crawl or an audit.

Frequently asked questions

50,000, and the file must stay under 50MB uncompressed. Beyond either limit you split into several sitemaps and list them in a sitemap index file, which can itself hold 50,000 sitemaps.

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