# YAML Formatter

Format and beautify YAML. Note: comments are lost (js-yaml limitation)

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/yaml-formatter

- **Category:** Format Conversion

- **Keywords:** yaml, formatter, beautify, pretty print, yml, yaml formatter, yaml beautifier

## Overview

The YAML Formatter is a utility tool designed to clean, structure, and minify YAML data. It allows you to adjust indentation sizes and toggle between beautifying and minifying modes to ensure your configuration files are syntactically correct and easy to read.

## Inputs

- **YAML Input** (textarea): Enter your YAML here. Note: comments will be lost after formatting.
- **Indent Size** (number): Enter indent size (0-8)
- **Mode** (select)

## When to use

- When you need to fix indentation errors or clean up messy YAML configuration files.
- When you want to compress YAML data into a minified format to reduce payload size.
- When you need to standardize the indentation size across different YAML documents.

## How it works

- Paste your raw YAML data into the input text area.
- Select your preferred formatting mode (Beautify or Minify) and set the indentation size.
- The tool parses the YAML input and outputs the formatted or minified result instantly.

## Use cases

- Formatting Kubernetes deployment manifests for better readability.
- Minifying CI/CD pipeline configurations to save space.
- Standardizing indentation in application configuration files.

## Frequently asked questions

### Will my comments be preserved after formatting?

No, comments are lost during formatting due to parser limitations.

### What indentation sizes are supported?

You can set the indentation size anywhere from 0 to 8 spaces.

### Can I minify my YAML files?

Yes, you can switch the mode option to Minify to compress your YAML data.

### Does this tool validate YAML syntax?

Yes, it parses the input, which helps identify syntax errors in your YAML structure.

### Is there a file size limit for formatting?

The tool runs in your browser and can handle standard configuration files efficiently.

## Related tools

- [JSON Formatter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/json-formatter): Format and validate JSON data
- [TOML Formatter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/toml-formatter): Format and beautify TOML. Note: comments are lost and key order may change (@iarna/toml limitation)
- [XML Formatter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xml-formatter): Format, beautify and minify XML with configurable indent. Preserves comments and CDATA
- [CSS Beautifier](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/css-beautifier): Format and beautify minified or messy CSS code into readable, well-indented stylesheets
- [VBA Code Formatter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/vba-formatter): Format and beautify VBA code for better readability
- [HCL-YAML Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/hcl-yaml-converter): Convert between HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL) and YAML formats for Terraform configurations
- [SQL Query Formatter & Minifier](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/sql-query-formatter): Beautify or minify SQL with full control over dialect (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server/T-SQL, BigQuery, Snowflake, and more), keyword / identifier / function casing, indent style (standard, tabular-left, tabular-right), and spacing between statements. Produces a syntax-highlighted, copy-ready result with live size and statement stats.
- [TOML-YAML Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/toml-yaml-converter): Convert between TOML and YAML formats with support for complex data structures and configuration files

## Samples

- [YAML Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/yaml-samples): YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) format examples from simple to complex structures
- [YAML Viewer Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/yaml-viewer-samples): Sample YAML files (app config, docker-compose, k8s) for the in-browser YAML Viewer
- [Kubernetes YAML Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/kubernetes-yaml): Complete Kubernetes YAML manifests for Deployment, Service, ConfigMap, Secret, Ingress and other essential resources
- [Distributed Tracing Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/distributed-tracing-samples): Comprehensive distributed tracing examples using Jaeger, OpenTelemetry, and other modern observability tools for microservices architecture

## Related content

- [Configuration File Conversion and Environment Diff Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/config-workflows): Parse .env files, convert YAML/TOML/HCL configs, merge config fragments, and compare environment drift in one configuration workflow hub.
- [Text Redaction, Highlighting, and Presentation Formatting Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/text-format): Compare tools for masking sensitive text, finding PII, normalizing phone numbers, highlighting phrases, centering text, and formatting diffs in one hub.
- [JSON Formatting, Diff, and Normalization Tools](https://elysiatools.com/en/hubs/json-format): Compare JSON formatting, diffing, log review, config comparison, and data-normalization tools in one hub for readable and reviewable JSON workflows.