Build a valid XML sitemap from a list of URLs
An XML sitemap lists the pages you want search engines to know about, with an optional date each one last changed. The XML Sitemap Generator turns a plain list of URLs — or just paths plus a base domain — into a standards-compliant sitemap.xml following the sitemaps.org protocol, and can also create a sitemap index that points to several sitemap files.
Because browsers cannot fetch other websites, this tool does not crawl your site; you paste the URLs, which you can export from your CMS, analytics or a crawler. In return you get strict validation: it resolves relative paths, escapes special characters, removes duplicates, checks that every URL is absolute and on the same host, warns about http:// addresses, and counts against the 50,000-URL and 50 MB limits. Everything runs locally in your browser.
How to use the XML Sitemap Generator
- Enter your base URL (for example https://www.example.com) so that paths like
/about/become full addresses. - Paste your URLs or paths, one per line. Add a date,
img=orhreflang=after a URL if you need them. - Choose how lastmod should be filled: today’s date, one custom date, per line, or not at all. Leave changefreq and priority off unless another search engine needs them.
- Press Generate sitemap, read the warnings, and fix any skipped lines.
- Copy or download
sitemap.xml, upload it to your site root, and add a Sitemap line to robots.txt. For more than 50,000 URLs, switch to Sitemap index mode.
XML Sitemap Generator features
Paths or full URLs
Mix relative paths and absolute URLs; paths are resolved against your base URL and fragments (#…) are removed.
Real validation
Invalid lines are skipped with a reason; cross-host URLs, http:// addresses, duplicates, missing self-references in hreflang sets and the 50,000/50 MB limits are all reported.
Image and hreflang extensions
Add img= for image sitemap entries and hreflang= pairs for multilingual pages, and the right XML namespaces are added automatically.
Sitemap index mode
List several sitemap files and get a valid sitemapindex with lastmod dates.
Correct escaping
Ampersands, quotes and angle brackets in URLs are entity-escaped so the file parses, and the output is parsed back to prove it is well-formed.
What Google actually uses in a sitemap
Google reads the <loc> and <lastmod> elements. It has stated that it ignores <priority> and <changefreq>, which is why both are off by default here; they are still part of the protocol and some other search engines may read them. A lastmod value is only helpful when it is accurate — setting every page to today on every build teaches crawlers to distrust it, so use real modification dates where you can.
Sitemaps are a hint, not a command. Listing a URL does not guarantee indexing, and pages left out can still be found by links. The sitemap should contain only canonical, indexable URLs that return 200 — not redirects, noindex pages or URLs blocked in robots.txt.
| Element | Required | Used by Google |
|---|---|---|
| <loc> | Yes | Yes |
| <lastmod> | No | Yes, when consistently accurate |
| <changefreq> | No | No |
| <priority> | No | No |
| <image:image> | No | Yes (image search) |
| <xhtml:link hreflang> | No | Yes (language versions) |
Sitemap limits and the sitemap index
One sitemap file may contain up to 50,000 URLs and must be no larger than 50 MB uncompressed; you can gzip it to save bandwidth. Larger sites split URLs across several files — by section, by date or simply in blocks — and publish a sitemap index that lists them. The index has the same limits: 50,000 sitemaps, 50 MB. Submit the index in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, or reference it in robots.txt, and the search engine will discover the individual files.
All URLs in a sitemap must be on the same host and protocol as the sitemap itself, unless you have verified ownership of both sites in Search Console or declared the sitemap in the other host’s robots.txt. The generator warns when a line points elsewhere.
Preparing your URL list
- Export URLs from your CMS, e-commerce platform or a site crawler, then paste them in. The URL Extractor can pull links out of any text or HTML.
- Use canonical versions only: one of http/https and one of www/non-www, with consistent trailing slashes. The “Add a trailing slash” option helps keep directory URLs uniform.
- Remove query-string variants, filters and pagination that you don’t want indexed; the Remove Duplicate Lines tool cleans long lists quickly.
- Per-line dates must be in ISO 8601 form such as
2026-10-07or2026-10-07T09:30:00+05:30.
XML Sitemap Generator FAQ
Does this sitemap generator crawl my website?
No. Browsers cannot read other websites, so there is no crawling. You paste the list of URLs and the tool builds and validates the XML on your device.
Where do I put sitemap.xml?
Upload it to the root of your domain, for example https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml. Then add “Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml” to robots.txt and submit the URL in Google Search Console.
Should I set priority and changefreq?
Google ignores both, and Bing has said it gives them little weight. They are harmless but add size, so the generator leaves them out unless you choose a value.
What date format does lastmod use?
W3C datetime (ISO 8601): either a date like 2026-10-07 or a full timestamp with time zone, such as 2026-10-07T09:30:00+05:30. The tool checks the format on every line.
How many URLs can one sitemap hold?
50,000 URLs and up to 50 MB uncompressed. For more, create several sitemaps and link them from a sitemap index, which this tool generates in “Sitemap index” mode.
Can I include images and language versions?
Yes. Add img=https://…/photo.jpg after a URL for the image sitemap extension, and hreflang=en-GB:https://…/uk/ pairs for alternate language versions. Remember to include each page’s own URL in its hreflang set.