Encode and Decode HTML Entities Online
This free HTML encoder and decoder converts special characters into HTML entities and decodes entities back into plain characters. Paste your text, choose Encode or Decode, and copy the result. It is essential for safely displaying code, symbols, and user input inside web pages.
How to Use the HTML Tool
- Paste your text or HTML into the input box.
- Choose Encode to convert characters to entities or Decode to convert entities back.
- Press Convert, then copy the output.
What HTML Encoding Is
Certain characters have special meaning in HTML — the less-than sign (<), greater-than sign (>), ampersand (&), and quotes. If you want to display these as text rather than have the browser interpret them as markup, you replace them with entities: < becomes <, & becomes &, and so on. Encoding does this conversion; decoding reverses it. This is how you show example code or any literal symbol on a page without breaking the layout.
Why It Matters for Security and Display
HTML encoding is a cornerstone of safe web development. When you display user-submitted text without encoding it, a malicious user could inject script tags — the basis of cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Encoding the special characters neutralizes that, turning any markup into harmless visible text. Beyond security, encoding lets you display code snippets, mathematical symbols, and reserved characters correctly. Decoding is useful when you receive encoded content and want to read or reuse the original characters.
Entities You’ll See Most
The handful of entities you encounter constantly are < for <, > for >, & for &, " for a double quote, and ' for an apostrophe. There are hundreds more for accented letters and symbols (like © for the copyright sign), but these five cover most everyday encoding needs, especially for safely displaying code and preventing markup from being interpreted.
Private and Instant
The tool encodes and decodes in your browser, so nothing is uploaded and results appear instantly. It is free, needs no signup, and has no limit — a quick utility for developers, writers, and anyone preparing text for the web.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HTML encoding?
It is converting special characters like <, >, and & into entities (<, >, &) so they display as text instead of being treated as markup.
Why encode HTML?
To safely display code and symbols, and to prevent cross-site scripting when showing user input.
Is the HTML encoder free and private?
Yes — it is free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser.
Displaying Code Safely
Anyone who writes tutorials, documentation, or blog posts about code runs into HTML encoding constantly. To show a snippet of HTML on a page as text — rather than have the browser render it — the angle brackets must be encoded, or the example simply disappears into the layout. Encoding a code sample turns every <div> into visible text instead of an actual element. The same applies to showing mathematical comparisons, ampersands in company names, or any reserved character that would otherwise be misread by the browser.
The security dimension is even more important. Cross-site scripting (XSS) — one of the most common web vulnerabilities — happens when a site displays user-submitted content without encoding it, letting an attacker inject a script that runs in other users’ browsers. Encoding the dangerous characters defuses the attack by rendering any injected markup as harmless text. While production code should encode output automatically, this tool is perfect for quick checks, preparing static content, and understanding exactly what encoding does to a string. Decoding, meanwhile, lets you recover the original characters from content that was already encoded.