Unescaped Quote in XML Attribute – Fix Broken Attribute Values

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A quote matching the attribute delimiter ends the value, so the same quote cannot appear literally inside that value.

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XML attribute escaping

How to fix an unescaped quote inside an XML attribute

The sample opens note with a double quote and then uses another literal double quote before hello, which ends the attribute early. Escape delimiter quotes as entities or use the other quote style around the whole value. This tool is free to use. No account or payment is required.

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Steps

  1. Identify whether the attribute uses single or double quotes as delimiters.
  2. Escape matching inner double quotes as " or matching inner apostrophes as ', or switch the outer delimiter.
  3. Validate the entire start tag after the edit.

The delimiter quote cannot appear literally inside the same value

XML uses the opening quote to decide where an attribute value begins and the matching quote to decide where it ends. Entity references let the same character appear as data without changing the syntax boundary.

Unescaped quote in XML attribute example

Encode the inner double quotes while keeping double quotes as the value delimiter.

Invalid XML

<root note="say "hello""/>

Corrected XML

<root note="say &quot;hello&quot;"/>

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

How do I put a double quote inside a double-quoted XML attribute?

Use &quot; for the inner double quote.

Can I use single quotes around an XML attribute value?

Yes. Single-quoted and double-quoted attribute values are both valid XML.

Do text nodes need quotes escaped the same way?

No. Quote characters are normally fine in element text; this issue is specific to attribute delimiters.

Recommended next steps

Unquoted XML Attribute ValueQuote every XML attribute value with matching single or double quotes.XML Attribute Missing Equals SignAdd the required = between an attribute name and its quoted value.XML Validator Online – Check XML SyntaxPaste any XML document and check well-formedness locally in your browser.

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