JSON Beautifier and Formatter

Our JSON beautifier and formatter transforms compact, messy, or hard-to-read JSON into a clean, structured format that is easy to read and work with. It runs entirely in your browser with no installation required. You can paste JSON, upload a file, or type directly into the editor, adjust formatting options to your needs, then format, validate, copy, or download the neatly formatted output.

What This JSON Validator Does

  • Pretty-prints and validates JSON, making objects and arrays easy to read
  • Formats JSON online with customizable indent size and character
  • Sorts object keys or keeps the original order based on your preference
  • Runs entirely in your browser for complete privacy

Key Features

  • Delivers instant validation and formatting results
  • Completely free to use with no setup or installation required
  • Supports spaces or tabs with adjustable indent size
  • Allows you to copy the formatted JSON or download it for reuse

How to Use This JSON Formatter

  1. Paste your raw JSON text or upload a .json file into the editor
  2. Choose your preferred indent size and select spaces or tabs
  3. Enable options such as sorting keys or collapsing arrays and objects
  4. Click Beautify JSON to instantly format and view the results
  5. Resolve any validation errors, then copy or download the formatted JSON

Example 1: Minified VS Formatted JSON

Minified JSON

Copy
{"users":[{"id":1,"name":"Alice","roles":["admin","editor"]},{"id":2,"name":"Bob","roles":["viewer"]}],"meta":{"count":2,"page":1}}

Formatted JSON

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{
	"users": [
		{
			"id": 1,
			"name": "Alice",
			"roles": ["admin", "editor"]
		},
		{
			"id": 2,
			"name": "Bob",
			"roles": ["viewer"]
		}
	],
	"meta": {
		"count": 2,
		"page": 1
	}
}

Example 2: Beautify Deeply Nested JSON

Deeply Nested JSON

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{"a1":{"a2":{"a3":{"a4":{"a5":{"a6":{"a7":{"a8":{"a9":[1,{"k":"v"},[true,false],"text",null]}}}}}}}}}

Formatted Deeply Nested

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{
	"a1": {
		"a2": {
			"a3": {
				"a4": {
					"a5": {
						"a6": {
							"a7": {
								"a8": {
									"a9": [
										1,
										{
											"k": "v"
										},
										[true, false],
										"text",
										null
									]
								}
							}
						}
					}
				}
			}
		}
	}
}

Example 3: Format JSON with Compact Objects

Enable the Compact Objects option in the customization settings to beautify JSON output so that nested objects appear neatly on a single line.

Minified Multiple Nested Ojects

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{"user":{"name":"Alice","age":30},"product":{"id":101,"name":"Laptop"},"order":{"orderId":5001,"status":"shipped"},"address":{"city":"New York","zip":"10001"},"payment":{"method":"Credit Card","amount":1200.50}}

Formatted with Compact Objects

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{
	"user": {"name": "Alice", "age": 30},
	"product": {"id": 101, "name": "Laptop"},
	"order": {"orderId": 5001, "status": "shipped"},
	"address": {"city": "New York", "zip": "10001"},
	"payment": {"method": "Credit Card", "amount": 1200.5}
}

Customization options

Adjust these settings to match project conventions or personal preference. Click Defaults to restore original values.

Option Default Description
Indent Size 4 Number of spaces per indentation level when formatting JSON
Use Tabs True Use tab characters instead of spaces for indentation when enabled
Sort Keys False Alphabetically order object keys when true
Compact Arrays [] TRue Keep small arrays on one line to reduce vertical space
Compact Objects {} False Keep small objects on one line when enabled
Shorten URLs - Replace long URLs with a base URL prefix for display
Specify Date Keys - Date keys from JSON data to convert Date strings to desired format
Date Format Default Output format to apply to date keys when specified
Wrap Length 0 Maximum characters per line before wrapping. Zero means no wrap
Ending With Newline False Add a trailing newline at the end of the formatted output
Drop Nulls / Empty False Remove keys with null or empty values from the output when enabled
Exclude the Keys - Comma separated list of keys to exclude from the formatted output

Why use a JSON beautifier and formatter

Readable JSON reduces debugging time and makes code reviews faster. Use this formatter to enforce consistent style across a project to avoid noisy differences and to validate API responses before integration. This JSON validator works as a quick pretty print helper and as a free online formatter for one off tasks.

Best practices and standards

  • Set a single indent size for the project to avoid meaningless differeces
  • Run the formatter in pre commit hooks so files are consistent on commit
  • Validate JSON against a schema when structure is important for integrations
  • Use sort keys only when object key order does not matter
  • Keep production API payloads compressed and format them for development

Conclusion

This JSON beautifier and formatter helps you convert compact or minified objects into clear readable documents acting as a validator also. It supports validation large file handling and flexible formatting options so you can match team conventions or personal preference.