JSON Formatter
JSON Formatter beautifies messy JSON into clean, indented, readable structure — or minifies it back to a single compact line. It also validates your input and shows a precise error message when the JSON is malformed.
It is perfect for inspecting API responses, cleaning up configuration files and debugging payloads. Parsing happens locally, so your data never leaves the browser.
Paste JSON — it beautifies, minifies and validates automatically.
How to use JSON Formatter
- 1
Pick a mode
Format to beautify or minify, String → JSON to decode an escaped JSON string, or JSON → String to wrap text into an escaped string literal.
- 2
Paste your input
Drop your JSON or string into the input box — the color-highlighted output updates instantly.
- 3
Copy the result
If the input is valid you get the converted output; otherwise an error explains what went wrong.
Beautify vs minify
Beautifying adds indentation and line breaks so you can read nested structures at a glance — ideal during development and debugging. Minifying removes every unnecessary space and newline to shrink the payload, which is what you want before sending JSON over the network.
Both operations are lossless: the data is identical, only the formatting changes.
Validating JSON and reading errors
The tool parses your text with the same engine the browser uses, so anything it accepts is guaranteed to be valid JSON. When parsing fails, it surfaces the underlying message — for example an unexpected token or a missing comma — to help you locate the problem.
Common mistakes include trailing commas, single quotes instead of double quotes, and unquoted keys. None of these are allowed in strict JSON.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this validate my JSON?
- Yes. If your input cannot be parsed, the tool shows the error instead of output, so it doubles as a validator.
- Is my JSON sent to a server?
- No. Formatting and validation run entirely in your browser.
- What indentation options are available?
- You can beautify with 2 or 4 spaces, or minify to a single line with no whitespace.
- What do the String ⇄ JSON modes do?
- String → JSON takes an escaped JSON string — like one copied out of a log line or a code variable, with \" and \n escapes — and decodes it back into real, formatted JSON. JSON → String does the reverse, wrapping your JSON (or any text) into a single escaped string literal you can paste straight into code.
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