Add your XML file
Drop one or more .xml files onto the converter above, or browse for them. They load into browser memory only — nothing is uploaded, so there is no size-based pricing and no server queue.
XML to XLF
Restructuring .xml data as .xlf changes the serialization without touching the values themselves. Free, private, and validated — the file never leaves your browser.
Private for supported formats — processed in your browser
Runs on your deviceConvert supported files
Drop XML files here
Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.
Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.About converting XML data to XLIFF 1.2
Restructuring .xml data as .xlf changes the serialization without touching the values themselves. An .xml file contains Extensible Markup Language: angle-bracketed tags you define yourself, arranged in a strictly nested tree. It is a meta-format — RSS feeds, SVG images, and Office documents are all XML underneath.
A .xlf file is an XLIFF document — the OASIS XML standard for moving translation work between tools. Each translatable string becomes a trans-unit holding a source element and, once translated, a target element, wrapped in a file element that records the source and target languages. For this route the practical draw is a real published standard rather than a vendor convention and expresses review state and inline formatting that simpler formats cannot — balanced against verbose — several lines of markup per string, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert XML to XLF?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .xml, verbose — every element name is written twice. Switching to .xlf buys you a real published standard rather than a vendor convention, which is why it is the better fit for sending strings to a translation agency and getting reviewed work back. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
XML vs XLF at a glance
| Aspect | XML data (.xml) | XLIFF 1.2 (.xlf) |
|---|---|---|
| Format type | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss |
| How it stores data | well-formedness is binary: one mismatched tag makes the document invalid, and conforming parsers must reject it | the root xliff element declares a version; file elements carry source-language and target-language attributes |
| Strongest at | build and platform configuration (Maven POMs, Android manifests) | sending strings to a translation agency and getting reviewed work back |
| Weak spot | verbose — every element name is written twice | verbose — several lines of markup per string |
Pick XLF as the output
Select .xlf in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if XLF is selectable, the route is real and validated.
Convert on your device
Press Convert. The restructuring is plain local parsing — your data is never posted to a server for processing.
Verify and download
Each result is signature-checked before the download unlocks, so a failed encode can never masquerade as a valid XLF file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .xlf extension.
XML to XLF questions, answered
Will converting XML to XLF lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — xml is text-oriented and xlf is text-oriented, so the question is structural fidelity. Text, ordering, and basic structure are preserved; complex layout, embedded objects, and styling beyond the target's model are simplified.
Is it private to convert XML files here?
Yes — the .xml file is processed inside your browser tab and never uploaded. The restructuring is plain local parsing — your data is never posted to a server for processing. Close the tab and the file is gone from memory.
Where will the XLF file work?
Every serious translation management system reads XLIFF 1.2, and it is the safest common denominator for handing work to a vendor. Novus Convert reads both 1.2 trans-units and 2.0 units through one bounded parser, rejects documents carrying a doctype or custom entities outright, and converts to and from the other localization formats locally.
Will the XLF file be bigger or smaller than my XML?
It depends on the content: the root xliff element declares a version; file elements carry source-language and target-language attributes. Convert one representative file first and compare before batch-processing a large set.