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Sitemap Extractor

Submit a sitemap URL and extract all listed URLs

Web Dev Tools
Tip: Supports sitemap index files and standard URL sets.

Sitemap URL

Enter a full sitemap URL that starts with http:// or https://

Download Format

Pick the export format

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Sitemap extractor: Pull every URL from an XML sitemap

An XML sitemap is a structured file, usually named sitemap.xml , that tells search engine crawlers which pages exist on a website. This sitemap extractor fetches that file from the server, parses its XML structure, and returns a clean list of every URL declared inside it. The fetch happens on the server side, so the tool can reach public sitemaps without browser security restrictions getting in the way.

The result is a deduplicated, alphabetically sorted list of URLs. You can copy them all at once or download them in Text, JSON, or CSV format for use in audits, spreadsheets, or scripts.

Why pulling URLs from a sitemap matters

A sitemap is the most authoritative list of URLs a site owner publishes. When you need to audit a site, check for missing pages, or compare what is indexed against what is live, the sitemap is the right starting point. Manually copying URLs from an XML file is tedious and error-prone, especially when the file contains hundreds or thousands of entries.

This tool removes that friction. It handles both standard <urlset> sitemaps and <sitemapindex> files that point to multiple child sitemaps. The tool follows each child reference automatically, so you get a complete URL set from a single input.

What the tool handles technically

Not all sitemaps are identical. Some sites publish a sitemap index, which is a parent file containing references to dozens of individual sitemaps grouped by section or content type. The extractor recognizes the <sitemapindex> tag and recursively fetches each referenced sitemap, up to 25 sitemaps per run. It then merges all <loc> values, deduplicates them, and sorts the final list alphabetically.

XML namespaces are handled by stripping the namespace prefix from tag names before parsing, which prevents common failures on sitemaps that include namespace declarations. The tool also strips sitemap-specific metadata such as <lastmod> and <changefreq> from the output, returning only the URLs themselves.

  • Supports standard <urlset> sitemaps and <sitemapindex> files
  • Recursively follows child sitemaps, up to 25 per extraction
  • Extracts up to 50,000 URLs per run
  • Deduplicates and sorts results alphabetically
  • Accepts URLs up to 2,048 characters in length
  • Times out after 12 seconds per fetch to avoid hanging on slow hosts
  • Blocks requests to private, loopback, and reserved IP ranges for security

How to use the URL extractor

  1. Go to Web Dev Tools and open Sitemap Extractor .
  2. Paste a full sitemap URL starting with http:// or https:// into the input field.
  3. Click Extract URLs . The tool fetches the sitemap from its server and parses the XML.
  4. Review the extracted URLs displayed in the results area. A count shows how many URLs were found.
  5. Choose a download format: Text , JSON , or CSV .
  6. Click Copy All to copy every URL to your clipboard, or Download to save the file locally.

Most public sitemaps follow the standard format and will work without any extra configuration. If the tool returns an error such as "Invalid XML response" or "Failed to fetch sitemap", the target file may be behind authentication, returning a non-XML response, or unavailable at that URL.

When to use this tool

This tool is useful in several practical situations for developers, SEOs, and site owners:

  • Auditing a site to see which URLs are officially declared to search engines
  • Comparing sitemap URLs against a crawl to find pages that are listed but return errors
  • Migrating a site and needing a complete URL inventory as a starting point
  • Checking a competitor's public sitemap to understand their content structure
  • Verifying that a newly published page has been added to the sitemap
  • Feeding a URL list into another tool, such as a diff tool , to compare two snapshots over time

Output formats and what to do with the results

The extracted URLs are available in three formats. Text gives you one URL per line, which works well for pasting into spreadsheets or command-line tools. JSON wraps the list in an array, which is convenient if you are passing the data to another web-based workflow. CSV produces a single-column file that opens directly in Excel or Google Sheets.

If you need to work with the URL data further, the CSV to JSON converter on DevDeck can transform your downloaded CSV into a structured JSON object in one step.

FAQ

A sitemap extractor fetches an XML sitemap file from a public URL, parses its XML structure, and pulls out every page address listed in <loc> elements. The result is a plain list of URLs, stripped of metadata like last-modified dates or priority scores. This tool does that server-side, so it can read the sitemap file directly without browser cross-origin restrictions interfering.

A regular sitemap uses a <urlset> root element and lists page URLs directly inside <url><loc> tags. A sitemap index uses a <sitemapindex> root element and contains references to other sitemap files rather than page URLs. This tool detects the root element type automatically. When it finds a sitemap index, it fetches each referenced child sitemap and merges all URLs into one combined list.

The tool extracts up to 50,000 URLs per run and follows up to 25 sitemaps when processing a sitemap index. Each individual fetch times out after 12 seconds. These limits cover the vast majority of real-world sitemaps. Sites with extremely large URL sets split across many child sitemaps may hit the 25-sitemap cap before all URLs are retrieved.

Because the fetch happens on the server, allowing requests to private IP ranges (such as 127.0.0.1, 192.168.x.x, or 10.x.x.x) would expose internal infrastructure to potential abuse. The tool blocks requests to loopback, link-local, reserved, multicast, and unspecified addresses. Only publicly routable HTTP and HTTPS URLs are accepted. Entering a local or internal address will return a "This host is not allowed" error.

"Only HTTP and HTTPS URLs are supported" means you entered a URL with a different scheme, such as ftp:// . "Invalid sitemap URL" means the input could not be parsed as a URL at all. "This host is not allowed" means the hostname resolves to a blocked IP range. "Invalid XML response" means the server returned something that is not valid XML. "Failed to fetch sitemap" means the server was unreachable or the request timed out.

Yes. Many sitemaps include XML namespace declarations that prefix tag names, such as sm:url instead of url . The parser strips namespace prefixes before reading tag names, so it can match <loc> elements correctly regardless of whether a namespace is present. This prevents the silent failures that occur when a strict parser treats namespaced and non-namespaced tags as different elements.

You can download results as plain Text (one URL per line), JSON (a JSON array of strings), or CSV (a single-column file). Text works well for command-line use or pasting into any editor. JSON suits further programmatic processing. CSV opens directly in spreadsheet applications. You can also click "Copy All" to copy the full list to your clipboard without downloading a file.

A web crawler discovers URLs by following hyperlinks across pages, which means it finds URLs that exist in HTML but may not be in any sitemap. This tool reads only what the site owner has explicitly declared in their XML sitemap. It does not follow links or visit any page beyond the sitemap file itself. Crawlers are better for discovering undeclared pages; this tool is better for auditing what a site officially publishes to search engines.

The tool fetches the sitemap URL you provide on the server and returns the parsed results to your browser. No extracted URLs or sitemap content are stored after your session ends. The sitemap URL you enter is used only to make the fetch request. See the privacy policy for full details on what information is retained at the platform level.

No. The tool makes an unauthenticated HTTP request with no way to pass credentials, cookies, or authorization headers. If the sitemap URL returns a login page or a 401/403 response, the tool will either fail with "Failed to fetch sitemap" or return "Invalid XML response" because the authentication page is not valid XML. Only publicly accessible sitemaps are supported.

The most common location is https://example.com/sitemap.xml . Many sites also declare their sitemap URL inside their robots.txt file, which is always at https://example.com/robots.txt . Look for a line starting with Sitemap: in that file. WordPress sites often use /wp-sitemap.xml or a plugin-generated path. Google Search Console also shows the sitemap URL if you have access to the property.

Once you have a URL list, a natural next step is comparing two snapshots to spot additions or removals. The diff tool on DevDeck lets you paste two URL lists and highlights the differences line by line. If you downloaded the CSV format, you can also convert it to JSON or another format using the file converters in the same toolkit before feeding it into further analysis.