Free YAML Formatter

Clean up messy YAML with consistent 2-space indentation. This free formatter parses your mappings and sequences, then re-emits them with normalized nesting — making config files, CI pipelines, and Kubernetes manifests easy to scan.

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Re-indents YAML to clean 2-space nesting. Comments are not preserved — keep your original for documentation.

Formatted YAML


    

    

  



  
Private by design. This tool runs 100% in your browser — your code is never uploaded to any server.

  

    
How to Use the YAML Formatter

    
    
      
  1. Paste your YAML into the input box.
    2. 
      
  2. Click Format YAML — nesting is normalized to 2 spaces.
    3. 
      
  3. Review the structure stats (keys, depth, lists).
    4. 
      
  4. Copy or download the cleaned YAML.
    5. 
    

  

  

    
Features

    
The formatter parses mappings, nested mappings, sequences, and lists of mappings, then re-emits everything with uniform 2-space indentation and normalized scalar quoting. Structural errors — like inconsistent indentation that changes meaning — are reported with line numbers instead of silently mangling your config.

    
Benefits & Use Cases

    
DevOps engineers normalize CI configs and Helm values before committing; developers tidy docker-compose files; anyone inheriting hand-edited YAML gets consistent structure. Normalized indentation also makes diffs meaningful instead of whitespace-noisy.

    
Tips

    
Note that comments are not preserved — the formatter works from the parsed structure. Keep your commented original in version control and treat formatted output as the clean deploy copy.

  

  

    
Frequently Asked Questions

    
What does a YAML formatter do?
It parses YAML into its data structure and rewrites it with consistent 2-space indentation, so nesting is uniform and the file is easy to read — without changing the data itself.

    
Are my comments preserved?
No. Because the tool round-trips through the parsed structure, comments and custom formatting are not carried over. Keep your original file for documentation; use the output as the clean copy.

    
Why does YAML care about indentation?
Indentation defines structure in YAML — it is how nesting is expressed, unlike JSON’s braces. Inconsistent indentation can silently change meaning, which is why normalizing it matters.

    
What YAML features are supported?
Mappings, nested mappings, sequences, lists of mappings, and common scalars (strings, numbers, booleans, null). Exotic features like anchors, merge keys, and multi-line block scalars have limited support.

    
Is my YAML uploaded anywhere?
No. Parsing and formatting run entirely in your browser — your data never leaves your device.

  

  

    
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