OPML Viewer & RSS Manager
Parse an OPML outline / feed-subscription file, filter nodes, and explore it as a nested, collapsible tree.
OPML viewer — inspect feed subscription outlines
OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is the standard XML format podcast apps and RSS readers use to export and import feed subscription lists. Under the hood it's just nested <outline> elements — folders group related feeds, and any outline with an xmlUrl attribute is an actual feed subscription (its htmlUrl points at the site itself).
Paste an OPML export from Feedly, Inoreader, NetNewsWire, Apple Podcasts, or any other reader above, or drop the .opml file directly, to see its folders and feeds rendered as a collapsible tree. Feed items link straight to the site's homepage, and the whole outline can be exported as JSON for further processing.
Everything runs locally with the browser's built-in XML parser — your subscription list is never uploaded anywhere. Need the reverse direction? Try XML Formatter or XML Validator to clean up or check the raw file first.
Built and maintained by Meet Shah · Last updated
What this tool is used for
- Exploring an OPML export's folders and feeds as a tree.
- Checking what a feed reader's export actually contains.
- Finding a feed URL inside a large subscription file.
- Comparing two OPML exports to see which feeds were added or dropped.
- Auditing a subscription list before importing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an OPML file?
- An outline format built from nested `<outline>` elements. Its most common use is a feed subscription list — every RSS reader exports and imports one, which is what makes moving between readers possible.
- Which attributes carry the feed information?
- `xmlUrl` is the feed itself and is what identifies an entry as a subscription; `htmlUrl` is the site's human page; `text` and `title` are the display name. An outline with no `xmlUrl` is a folder or a plain outline node.
- Why does my export have folders?
- Because outlines nest. Readers map a category to an outline element containing others, so the hierarchy in the file is the folder structure in your reader — and a reader without folders will flatten it on import.
- Can I edit the file by hand?
- Yes, it is plain XML. The usual pitfall is unescaped `&` in a query-string feed URL, which makes the document fail to parse — it must be written `&` even inside an attribute.
- Is the file uploaded anywhere?
- No. It is parsed in your browser, which matters because a subscription list is a detailed record of your reading interests — precisely the kind of file worth not handing to a third-party service.
- Does OPML carry the articles?
- No, only the list of feeds. Read state, starred items and article content live in the reader's own database, so an OPML import gives you the subscriptions back and nothing else.
Common errors and gotchas
- Assuming every entry is a feed, when OPML also carries plain outline nodes.
- Expecting folder structure to survive an import, which readers handle inconsistently.
- Overlooking that a feed URL in the file may long since have moved or died.
- Confusing the `xmlUrl` with the `htmlUrl`, which point at the feed and the site respectively.
- Treating the file as a backup of read state, which OPML does not carry.