# Start tag expected, '<' not found

Source: https://xmlvalid.com/errors/start-tag-expected

> The document does not start with an element.

Example message: `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 that fails

```xml
hello <note/>
```

## Fixed

```xml
<note>hello</note>
```