xmlvalid
Sign in Open validator

Start tag expected, '<' not found

The document does not start with an element.

The message, as the validator reports it
Start tag expected, '<' not found

Why it happens

  • The file is not XML at all: JSON, CSV, an HTML error page saved under an .xml name, or a server's "404 Not Found".
  • Text before the root element.
  • A byte order mark or other bytes from a wrong encoding before the first <.

How to fix it

Open the file and look at its first characters: an XML document starts with <?xml …?> or directly with its root element (comments and whitespace may come first). If it came from a URL, check what the server actually sent.

Example

Reports the error
hello <note/>
Fixed
<note>hello</note>