Setting up formatting when using a XmlWriter is pretty easy. Declare a XmlWriterSettings variable and set the formatting options you want. The two main items are for indenting and new lines. You add the XmlWriterSettings variable as the second parameter in the XmlWriter.Create function. VB.Net Example Dim mySettings As New XmlWriterSettings() mySettings.Indent = True mySettings.NewLineOnAttributes = True Using writer As XmlWriter = XmlWriter.Create("c:\test.x... settings) C# Example XmlWriterSettings ......