Sitemap Index Splitter
Split a large URL list into multiple sitemap files under the 50,000 URL and 50 MB limits, generate the sitemap index that references them, and group by section for easier diagnosis.
Last reviewed by the Radiatus Cloud team
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The two limits that force a split
A single sitemap file may contain at most 50,000 URLs and must not exceed 50 MB uncompressed. Exceeding either causes the whole file to be rejected, not truncated, so a site that grows past the limit can lose its entire sitemap without any visible change. Above those limits the answer is several sitemap files plus a sitemap index that lists them, and an index may itself reference up to 50,000 sitemaps, which is enough for any site that exists.
Split by section, not arbitrarily
Splitting into equal chunks satisfies the limits and wastes the main diagnostic benefit. Search Console reports indexation per sitemap, so a sitemap per section tells you that eighty percent of your product pages are indexed while only thirty percent of your blog is, which is actionable. An arbitrary split into files of 50,000 tells you nothing except that indexation is uneven somewhere. The cost of splitting sensibly is zero, and the information gained is the main reason to bother.
What belongs in a sitemap
Only canonical, indexable URLs returning 200. Including redirects, blocked URLs, noindex pages or non-canonical variants sends a contradictory signal: the sitemap says these matter while another directive says they should not be indexed. A sitemap is a set of recommendations rather than instructions, and the strongest thing it does is help discovery of pages that are poorly linked internally, which is why a clean sitemap on a well linked site changes very little.
Related tools
- Meta Tag Analyzer — Check a page's meta tags for the problems that actually affect indexing and click-through.
- Redirect Chain Checker — Trace the full path of redirects (301/302) to find loops or lost link juice.
- Robots.txt Validator — Validate robots.txt syntax and check whether a specific URL is allowed or blocked for a given crawler.
- Sitemap Generator (Lite) — Generate a valid XML sitemap with lastmod dates and correct structure, and learn which URLs belong in it and which do not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the sitemap limits?
50,000 URLs and 50 MB uncompressed per file. Exceeding either causes rejection of the entire file rather than truncation, so a growing site can silently lose its whole sitemap.
Why split by section rather than evenly?
Because Search Console reports indexation per sitemap file. A sitemap per section tells you which part of the site is not being indexed; an arbitrary split tells you only that something is wrong somewhere.
Can a sitemap index reference another index?
No. Nesting indexes is not supported. An index may reference up to 50,000 sitemap files directly, which covers 2.5 billion URLs and is enough for any site.
What should not go in a sitemap?
Redirects, blocked URLs, noindex pages and non-canonical variants. Including them contradicts your own directives, since the sitemap says these pages matter while something else says they should not be indexed.
Does a sitemap improve rankings?
No. It helps discovery, which matters most for large sites, new pages and pages that are poorly linked internally. On a small, well linked site a sitemap changes very little, and fixing internal linking helps more.
Privacy & Security
Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How to Use
Paste your URL list to generate split sitemap files and the index that references them.
Disclaimer: This tool is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Results are for educational and utility purposes.
Related Tools
Meta Tag Analyzer
SEOCheck a page's meta tags for the problems that actually affect indexing and click-through.
Redirect Chain Checker
SEOTrace the full path of redirects (301/302) to find loops or lost link juice.
Robots.txt Validator
SEOValidate robots.txt syntax and check whether a specific URL is allowed or blocked for a given crawler.