Unclosed XML Comment – Fix Missing --> Comment Endings

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An XML comment starts with <!-- and must end with -->. Without that terminator, later markup remains inside an unfinished comment and the document cannot parse.

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XML comment troubleshooting

How to fix an unclosed XML comment

The preloaded document starts a comment before the name element but never writes -->. The parser therefore cannot determine where comment text ends and ordinary XML markup resumes. This tool is free to use. No account or payment is required.

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What you can do here

  • XML well-formedness validation
  • Broken XML example preloaded
  • Corrected XML comparison
  • .xml file import
  • Browser parser feedback
  • Browser-local processing

Steps

  1. Find the <!-- comment opener before the parser failure.
  2. Identify the intended end of the comment and add --> there.
  3. Check the markup that follows because it may have been accidentally swallowed by the unfinished comment, then validate again.

An unfinished comment changes how all following characters are interpreted

Once comment syntax begins, angle brackets that would normally start elements are comment content until the closing delimiter appears. That can make a small missing token look like a much larger structural failure.

Comments should not contain -- inside their body

XML comment syntax has stricter rules than many programming-language comments. Keep comment text simple and validate generated documentation or configuration files after automated comment insertion.

Missing XML comment terminator example

Close the comment before the name element begins.

Invalid XML

<service><!-- temporary note<name>api</name></service>

Corrected XML

<service><!-- temporary note --><name>api</name></service>

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

How does an XML comment end?

An XML comment starts with <!-- and ends with -->.

Can an XML comment span multiple lines?

Yes. A comment can span lines as long as valid comment syntax is preserved and the --> terminator is present.

Why can an unclosed comment cause errors far later in the file?

The parser continues treating later characters as part of the unfinished comment until it reaches an impossible boundary or the end of the document.

Recommended next steps

XML Unclosed TagFind elements that reach the end of a document without a matching closing tag.XML Mismatched TagFind opening and closing element names that do not match.XML Validator Online – Check XML SyntaxPaste any XML document and check well-formedness locally in your browser.

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