Free SEO tool

XML Sitemap Validator

This XML sitemap validator checks a sitemap or sitemap index against the sitemaps.org protocol: the urlset or sitemapindex root and its namespace, absolute loc URLs on the same host, lastmod dates, and the 50,000 URL and 50 MB limits. It then fetches a sample of the listed URLs and reports error statuses, redirect chains and noindex.

How to Check a Sitemap of a Website

Enter the full address of the sitemap file and run the check; the validation and the sampled URLs appear below the form.

Find the sitemap address, usually /sitemap.xml or the Sitemap line of the site's robots.txt file.
Paste the full URL, including https://, into the field. A compressed .xml.gz file works too.
Select Submit and wait while the file, the first child sitemaps of an index and the sampled pages are fetched.
Read the summary rows, then the list of issues with the line of each example.
Open each sampled URL to see the verdicts of the audit rules, fix the flagged entries, and validate the sitemap again.

Sitemap Errors and What the Results Mean

Errors break a rule of the sitemap protocol, so search engines may reject the file or skip the entry; warnings point to values that are ignored or only accepted in some cases.

Validate Sitemap XML Structure

The file must be well-formed UTF-8 XML whose root is <urlset> or <sitemapindex> with the namespace http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9. Every <url> or <sitemap> entry needs a <loc>. An unescaped ampersand, a missing namespace or a <url> inside a sitemap index is reported as an error, with the line where it occurs.

Sitemap Size Limit and URL Count

One sitemap may list at most 50,000 URLs and be at most 50 MB uncompressed; a sitemap index may list at most 50,000 sitemaps. The validator counts the entries in the first 10 MB of XML and, for a gzip file, the uncompressed bytes up to just over 50 MB. The size of a larger plain file is known only when the server sends its length, and when a file is larger than what was read, the result says which part was read.

Loc URLs, Host and Directory

Each <loc> must be an absolute URL of fewer than 2,048 characters, on the same protocol, host and port as the sitemap. A URL above the sitemap's folder is a warning: Google accepts it only when the sitemap is submitted in Search Console. The tool never fetches a URL listed for another host, and it does not sample the URLs of a child sitemap that redirects to another host.

Lastmod, Changefreq and Priority Values

A <lastmod> must use the W3C Datetime format, such as 2026-10-07 or 2026-10-07T09:30:00+00:00; other formats are errors. A <changefreq> outside always, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and never, or a <priority> outside 0.0 to 1.0, is a warning, since Google ignores both tags.

Validate Sitemap URLs

A sample of the listed URLs, spread evenly over the file, is fetched once each and judged by the audit rules http.error_status, http.redirect_chain and indexing.noindex. Each sampled URL shows its HTTP status, where it redirects, and the verdict a full audit of that page would reach.

Sitemap Index Files

For a sitemap index, the validator checks the index, then fetches and validates its first child sitemaps, up to a fixed number per run. Child sitemaps past that number are listed as not checked, with the number stated. The sample is taken from the URLs of those child sitemaps. A child that is itself an index is reported and not followed.

Sitemap Validator Questions

What Is the Sitemap Size Limit?

A single sitemap may contain at most 50,000 URLs and 50 MB of uncompressed data, whether or not it is served as gzip. A larger site splits its URLs over several sitemaps and lists them in a sitemap index. The validator flags a file over either limit when it can read or measure it; a larger file is marked as read in part.

Does a Valid Sitemap Pass in Google Search Console?

A file that passes these checks follows the format Google reads, but Search Console also reports fetch problems and decides which listed URLs to index. This tool does not read Search Console data. Google ignores priority and changefreq and uses lastmod only when it is consistently accurate.

Does the Validator Check Every URL in the Sitemap?

No. It validates every entry of the file, but it fetches only a sample of the listed URLs, up to the number shown under the field, spread evenly over the list. To check many more of the pages a sitemap lists, run a site crawl of your verified site from a QuikSEO account; the crawl audits sitemap URLs up to the page limit of your plan.

Why Is a noindex URL in My Sitemap Shown for Review?

The noindex rule reports a page for review unless its owner has declared that it must be indexed, the same verdict a full audit gives. A sitemap should list the pages you want in search results, so a noindex page in it is usually a mistake. Remove the URL from the sitemap or remove the noindex directive.

Can I Use This Sitemap Validator Online Without Installing Anything?

Yes. The check runs on the QuikSEO server, so you only need the public URL of the sitemap. Requests to the site are spaced out, and the number of checks per visitor and per site is limited.