Your sitemap shows code in Chrome? Your website isn't broken.
From Chrome 158, out on Tuesday 17 November 2026, Chrome stops styling sitemaps that use an XSL stylesheet. If you open your sitemap and see a wall of code instead of a neat list of pages, that is the reason. Your website, your pages and your Google listing keep working. Here is which platforms are affected and what, if anything, to do.
Chrome stops reading XSL stylesheets.
Your sitemap is a file that lists your pages for search engines, usually at an address like yoursite.com/sitemap.xml. It's written in XML, which is code. Many platforms add a small stylesheet, called XSL, so that a person who opens the file in a browser sees a tidy table instead of the code.
Google has announced that Chrome is removing XSLT, the feature that applies those stylesheets. Its notice says this stops working in Chrome 158, and Chrome's release schedule puts Chrome 158 on Tuesday 17 November 2026.
What you will see
- Before 17 November: your sitemap opens as a styled table of pages.
- From Chrome 158: the same address shows the raw code, or Chrome's plain view of the file. The list of pages is all still there.
What doesn't change
- Your website: your normal pages don't use XSL, so they look the same.
- Search engines: they read the sitemap file itself, not the styled table. Google's notice is about how Chrome displays pages and doesn't mention any change for search engines, so we expect no effect on your Google listing.
- Your RSS feed: none of the feeds we checked use an XSL stylesheet. Some use a CSS stylesheet instead, and Google says those stay supported.
Will your sitemap look different?
We opened a real sitemap for each platform on 25 October 2026 and checked whether it starts with an XSL stylesheet. Each line links to the file we checked.
Will show code from 17 November
- WordPress, no SEO plugin: the built-in sitemap uses XSL.Confirmed. Checked penguina.website/wp-sitemap.xml, our own WordPress site.
- Yoast SEO: its sitemap uses XSL.Confirmed. Checked yoast.com/sitemap_index.xml.
- Rank Math: its sitemap uses XSL.Confirmed. Checked rankmath.com/sitemap_index.xml.
- All in One SEO: its sitemap uses XSL.Confirmed. Checked aioseo.com/sitemap.xml.
- SEOPress: its sitemap uses XSL.Confirmed. Checked seopress.org/sitemaps.xml.
- Ghost: its sitemap uses XSL.Confirmed. Checked 404media.co/sitemap.xml, a Ghost site.
- Drupal: Drupal has no sitemap of its own. The common Simple XML Sitemap module uses XSL.Likely. Checked one site, acquia.com/sitemap.xml.
No visible change
- Shopify: no XSL. The sitemap already shows as plain code.Confirmed. Checked allbirds.com and skullcandy.com, both Shopify stores.
- Wix: no XSL.Confirmed. Checked wix.com and a Wix user site, brookmcbride.wixsite.com.
- Squarespace: no XSL.Likely. Checked one site, squarespace.com/sitemap.xml.
- Webflow: no XSL.Confirmed. Checked finsweet.com and relume.ai, both Webflow sites.
- Joomla: Joomla has no sitemap of its own. The extension on joomla.org uses no XSL, but other extensions may add one.Likely. Checked one site, joomla.org/sitemap.
- Also no XSL: Blogger, HubSpot, Weebly, Duda and BigCommerce.Confirmed, one site each. Checked blog.chromium.org, blog.hubspot.com, a Weebly site, duda.co and a BigCommerce store.
Confirmed means we checked a real sitemap on a site that runs that platform. Likely means we checked one site only, or the platform has no sitemap of its own and the result depends on the add-on. Some plugins let you switch the stylesheet off, and a developer can add one by hand, so your own site can differ. Not sure which you have? Open your sitemap and look at the first two lines: if one of them mentions xml-stylesheet and ends in .xsl, Chrome 158 will show it as code.
Nothing urgent. Three quick checks.
This is a change in how Chrome shows one file, not a fault on your website.
Don't panic or reinstall
Seeing code at your sitemap address from 17 November is expected. Don't remove your SEO plugin or turn off the sitemap because of it.
Check it still loads
Open the sitemap address. Code is fine. An error page, a blank page or "not found" is a different problem worth fixing.
Keep it in Search Console
If your sitemap is submitted in Google Search Console, leave it there. Google reads the file, not the styled view.
Why does my sitemap show code in Chrome?
Your sitemap uses an XSL stylesheet to look like a neat table in a browser. From Chrome 158, out on 17 November 2026, Chrome stops supporting XSLT, so it shows the code underneath instead. Your website isn't broken.
When does this change happen?
Google says XSLT stops working in Chrome 158. Chrome's release schedule puts Chrome 158 on Tuesday 17 November 2026. Chrome updates itself, so most people will see the change within a few days of that date.
Will this hurt my Google ranking?
We don't expect it to. Search engines read the sitemap file itself, not the styled table. Google's notice is about how Chrome displays pages and doesn't mention any change for search engines.
Which platforms are affected?
In our check on 25 October 2026, the sitemaps from WordPress without an SEO plugin, Yoast SEO, Rank Math, All in One SEO, SEOPress and Ghost use XSL, and so does Drupal's Simple XML Sitemap module on the site we checked. Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Joomla, Blogger, HubSpot, Weebly, Duda and BigCommerce sitemaps had no XSL, so they look the same as before.
Is my RSS feed affected?
Probably not. None of the feeds we checked use an XSL stylesheet. Blogger's feed uses a CSS stylesheet, and Google says CSS stylesheets stay supported.
Do I need to change anything on my website?
No. Leave your sitemap and SEO plugin as they are. Just check the sitemap address still loads and stays submitted in Google Search Console. If it shows an error instead of code, tell us in the chat and we'll look.
Related pages.
Sources for this page
- Chrome for Developers: Removing XSLT for a more secure browser
- Chrome Platform Status: XSLT removal
- Chromium Dash: Chrome 158 release schedule
- Platform sitemaps: each line in the platform section links to the file we checked on 25 October 2026.