JSON Formatter

Free JSON formatter & validator

Paste messy JSON and click Beautify to indent and format it, or Minify to strip whitespace. Invalid JSON shows a clear error message so you can fix it. Everything runs locally in your browser.

How to use the JSON formatter

1. Paste your JSON into the input box.
2. Click Beautify to indent and format it for reading, or Minify to strip whitespace for a smaller file.
3. If the JSON is invalid, a clear error message points you to the problem.

What is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based format for storing and exchanging data. It's the standard for web APIs and config files because it's easy for both humans and machines to read. JSON is built from objects ({ }), arrays ([ ]), strings, numbers, booleans and null.

Common JSON errors this tool catches

• Trailing commas — a comma after the last item in an object or array is not allowed.
• Single quotes — JSON strings and keys must use double quotes.
• Unquoted keys — every property name must be in quotes.
• Missing brackets or commas between items.

Beautify vs minify

Beautify adds indentation and line breaks so a human can read and debug the data. Minify removes all unnecessary whitespace to make the payload as small as possible — useful for production APIs and reducing bandwidth. Both produce exactly the same data, just formatted differently. Everything runs in your browser, so your data is never sent anywhere.

Frequently asked questions