# How to find the sitemap of any website > How to find the sitemap of a website, yours or anyone else's: read robots.txt, try the common sitemap paths, use the default address for each CMS, and what it means when none of them answer. Updated 2026-09-26 · Technical SEO · HTML version: https://getreport.app/guides/how-to-find-sitemap-of-a-website To find the sitemap of a website, open its robots.txt at `https://domain/robots.txt` and look for a line that starts with `Sitemap:`; that is where a site states its sitemap address. If there is none, try the common paths, `/sitemap.xml` first, then `/sitemap_index.xml` and `/wp-sitemap.xml`, or the default address of the CMS the site runs on. This guide covers each method, the defaults per platform, how to read what you find, and what it means when nothing turns up. For what a sitemap is for, see the [XML sitemap guide](https://getreport.app/guides/xml-sitemap). ## Quick answer - **robots.txt first:** open `https://domain/robots.txt` and look for `Sitemap:` lines. - **Then the usual paths:** `/sitemap.xml`, `/sitemap_index.xml`, `/wp-sitemap.xml`, `/sitemap-index.xml`, `/sitemap.xml.gz`. - **Know the CMS:** WordPress core uses `/wp-sitemap.xml`; Yoast SEO and Rank Math `/sitemap_index.xml`; Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and Webflow `/sitemap.xml`. - **Your own site:** Search Console → Indexing → Sitemaps lists what you submitted. - **Let a tool do it:** the [sitemap checker](https://getreport.app/tools/sitemap-validator) reads robots.txt and `/sitemap.xml` for you and validates what it finds. - **Nothing found?** The site may have no sitemap, or one submitted only in Search Console at an unusual address. ## Method 1: read the site's robots.txt robots.txt is the only public place where a site states its sitemap address, and every crawler reads it. Add `/robots.txt` to the domain: ```text https://example.com/robots.txt ``` Look for lines like these, anywhere in the file: ```text Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml Sitemap: https://example.com/news-sitemap.xml ``` A site can list several. The address may be on another path or even another host, such as a CDN, which is why guessing paths alone can miss it. From a terminal, one command shows only the sitemap lines: ```bash curl -s https://example.com/robots.txt | grep -i '^sitemap:' ``` If robots.txt answers 404 or has no `Sitemap:` line, move on to the common paths. The [robots.txt guide](https://getreport.app/guides/robots-txt) explains the rest of the file, and the [robots.txt tester](https://getreport.app/tools/robots-txt-tester) reads it for you. ## Method 2: try the common sitemap paths Most sitemaps live at one of a handful of addresses. Try them in this order: 1. `/sitemap.xml`, the most common by far 2. `/sitemap_index.xml`, used by Yoast SEO and Rank Math 3. `/wp-sitemap.xml`, WordPress core 4. `/sitemap-index.xml`, used by Astro and some generators 5. `/sitemap.xml.gz`, a compressed sitemap; your browser downloads it rather than showing it 6. `/sitemap.txt`, a plain text list of URLs 7. `/sitemaps/sitemap.xml` or `/sitemap/sitemap.xml`, on some custom setups A path that redirects to another sitemap is common too: WordPress core redirects `/sitemap.xml` to `/wp-sitemap.xml`, for example. Follow the redirect and use the final address. ## Method 3: use the default for the site's platform If you know, or can find out, which CMS or builder a site runs on, its default address is usually right: | Platform | Default sitemap address | | --- | --- | | WordPress, no SEO plugin | `/wp-sitemap.xml` (since WordPress 5.5) | | WordPress with Yoast SEO or Rank Math | `/sitemap_index.xml` | | WordPress with All in One SEO | `/sitemap.xml` | | Shopify | `/sitemap.xml` | | Wix | `/sitemap.xml` | | Squarespace | `/sitemap.xml` | | Webflow | `/sitemap.xml`, when auto-generation is on | | Ghost | `/sitemap.xml` | | Next.js with `app/sitemap.ts` | `/sitemap.xml` | | Astro with `@astrojs/sitemap` | `/sitemap-index.xml` | | Hugo | `/sitemap.xml` | | Drupal with Simple XML Sitemap | `/sitemap.xml` | | Magento and Adobe Commerce | Set by the admin; often `/sitemap.xml` or `/pub/sitemap.xml` | To find out what a site runs on, the [tech stack checker](https://getreport.app/tools/tech-stack) reads it from the page, and [what is a CMS and how to tell which one a site uses](https://getreport.app/guides/what-is-a-cms-and-how-to-tell-which-one-a-site-uses) shows the clues by hand. The platform guides go further: [WordPress sitemaps](https://getreport.app/guides/wordpress-sitemap) and [Shopify's sitemap](https://getreport.app/guides/shopify-sitemap). ## Method 4: for your own site, check Search Console and the CMS On a site you manage, two places are more reliable than guessing: - **Google Search Console → Indexing → Sitemaps** lists every sitemap submitted for the property, with when Google last read it and how many URLs it found. A sitemap submitted there can live at any address, even one no robots.txt mentions. - **The CMS or plugin settings.** Yoast SEO shows a link to the sitemap under Settings → Site features → XML sitemaps; Rank Math under Sitemap Settings; Shopify documents the address in its help centre; Webflow in Site settings → SEO. Bing Webmaster Tools has the same list under Sitemaps if the site is verified there. ## Method 5: let a tool find it > **Free tool:** [Sitemap checker: validate your XML sitemap](https://getreport.app/tools/sitemap-validator): Free sitemap checker: find your XML sitemap, validate it against the sitemaps.org protocol, count its URLs and test a sample of the listed pages. No sign-up. The sitemap checker finds sitemaps the way a crawler does: it reads up to three `Sitemap:` lines from robots.txt and tries `/sitemap.xml`, unpacks gzipped files, and parses each one. You see the address it found, whether it is a sitemap or an index, how many URLs it lists and any format problems, and a sample of up to 25 listed pages is checked for status 200. It works on any public site, yours or not. > **Check: robots.txt declares a sitemap.** A "Sitemap:" line in robots.txt is how crawlers find your XML sitemap without you registering it anywhere. Without it, new pages are discovered later. > > 1. Add a line to robots.txt: Sitemap: https://your-site.com/sitemap.xml (use the full URL). > **Check: XML sitemap is reachable.** A sitemap lists every page you want indexed and when it changed. Without one, crawlers must find pages by following links, and deep or new pages can wait weeks. > > 1. Generate an XML sitemap and publish it at /sitemap.xml (most CMSs and SEO plugins do this automatically). > 2. Make sure it returns HTTP 200 and lists at least one URL; then declare it in robots.txt and submit it in Google Search Console. ## Reading what you found ### A sitemap index or a sitemap If the file starts with ``, it is an index: a list of other sitemap files, often split by type (posts, pages, products) or by number. Open the child files to see the pages. If it starts with ``, it lists pages directly. [Sitemap examples](https://getreport.app/guides/xml-sitemap-example) shows both, annotated. ### Why it looks like a web page Many sitemaps look like a neat table in the browser rather than raw XML. That is an XSL stylesheet the CMS attaches for people; WordPress core and Yoast both do this. Crawlers ignore it. Use View Source to see the actual XML. ### A sitemap on another host If robots.txt names a sitemap on another host, for example a CDN or a storage bucket, that is allowed when the site owner has verified both hosts in Search Console or declares it in robots.txt, as here. It is the sitemap Google reads. ## When you cannot find a sitemap Four possible reasons, in order of likelihood: 1. **The site has none.** Plenty of small, hand-built sites do not. Google still finds their pages through links; Google's own guidance says a small, well-linked site may not need one. 2. **It is submitted only in Search Console** at an address nothing else mentions. Only the owner can see it. 3. **It is switched off.** On WordPress, "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" under Settings → Reading disables the core sitemap, and the whole site is then asking not to be indexed. 4. **It is blocked.** A firewall or bot protection may refuse your request, or the file sits behind a login. What you cannot open, crawlers often cannot either. If it is your own site and you find nothing, [create a sitemap](https://getreport.app/guides/how-to-create-an-xml-sitemap) and [submit it to Google](https://getreport.app/guides/submit-sitemap-to-google). ## Common mistakes - **Assuming `/sitemap.xml` is the only address.** Check robots.txt first; many sites use another path or host. - **Reading the styled table and missing the XML.** View Source shows what crawlers see. - **Stopping at the index.** An index lists files, not pages; open the children. - **Submitting a sitemap you found but did not check,** such as an old uploaded file that still answers next to the CMS's current one. Validate it before you use it. ## Questions people ask ### How do I find a website's sitemap if it is not in robots.txt? Try the common addresses in order: `/sitemap.xml`, `/sitemap_index.xml`, `/wp-sitemap.xml`, `/sitemap-index.xml` and `/sitemap.xml.gz`. Then use the default for the site's platform, such as `/sitemap_index.xml` for WordPress with Yoast SEO. If none of them answer, the site may have no sitemap, or its owner submitted one only in Search Console at an address nothing public mentions. ### Can I see another website's sitemap? Yes, if it is public, and almost all are: a sitemap exists so crawlers can read it, and anyone can open the same address in a browser. Look in the site's robots.txt or try `/sitemap.xml`. A sitemap tells you which pages the owner wants indexed and, through lastmod dates, which changed recently, which is useful for competitor and migration research. ### Why does my browser download the sitemap instead of showing it? Because it is compressed. A file ending in `.xml.gz` is a gzipped sitemap, which crawlers unpack but browsers usually save as a download. Open the downloaded file with any archive tool to see the XML, or use a sitemap checker, which unpacks it for you. The 50 MB size limit for sitemaps applies to the unpacked file.