JSON Formatter

Paste your JSON into the input editor or open a .json file from your device. You can also drag and drop a JSON file into the input area.

The tool validates the JSON syntax as you type. If the input is valid, you can format it using your preferred indentation:

2 spaces: A compact, commonly used formatting style.

4 spaces: Adds more indentation between nested levels.

Tabs: Uses tab characters for indentation.

You can optionally enable format-as-you-type to update the formatted output while editing. If you prefer to review your input first, leave this option disabled and format it when ready.

Format, validate, and minify JSON online with this free JSON formatter. Make compact JSON easier to read, choose your indentation style, sort object keys, and download the result.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a text-based format for storing and exchanging structured data. It is commonly used by APIs, web applications, configuration files, and data-processing tools.

JSON represents information using objects, arrays, and values such as strings, numbers, booleans, and null. Its simple structure makes it easy for applications to exchange data, but compact JSON can be difficult to read when it contains many nested objects or long arrays.

A JSON formatter organizes this data into a more readable layout. A JSON minifier does the opposite: it removes unnecessary formatting whitespace to make the text more compact.

Pretty-printing adds line breaks and indentation to make JSON easier to inspect and edit.

For example, this compact JSON:

{"name":"Alex","age":30,"active":true,"skills":["HTML","CSS","JavaScript"]}

Can be formatted with two-space indentation as:

{

"name": "Alex",

"age": 30,

"active": true,

"skills": [

"HTML",

"CSS",

"JavaScript"

]

}

The data values remain the same. Only the presentation and whitespace change.

Minifying JSON removes unnecessary formatting whitespace, including indentation and line breaks. It is useful when you need a compact representation for transferring or storing JSON text.

For example, this formatted JSON:

{

"name": "Alex",

"age": 30,

"active": true

}

Becomes:

{"name":"Alex","age":30,"active":true}

Minification changes the text layout, not the underlying JSON values.

Enable recursive key sorting to arrange object properties alphabetically throughout the JSON structure, including nested objects.

For example:

{

"name": "Alex",

"age": 30,

"city": "Berlin"

}

Can be sorted as:

{

"age": 30,

"city": "Berlin",

"name": "Alex"

}

Sorting changes the order in which object keys appear. It does not sort array items.

The JSON formatter checks whether your input follows valid JSON syntax. When it finds a parsing problem, it displays an error message and provides line and column context when available.

For example, JSON requires double quotes around property names and string values. This input is invalid:

{

name: "Alex"

}

The property name must be enclosed in double quotes:

{

"name": "Alex"

}

The tool helps locate syntax errors, but it does not automatically repair malformed JSON.