HTML Entity Encoder/Decoder
Encode and decode HTML entities
Encoding and decoding update together. Spaces are preserved; entities are decoded once.
Processed on this device. Your text is not uploaded.
Quick examples
Common HTML entities
About HTML entity encoding
HTML entities let you display special characters as text in HTML. Escape text for the context in which it will be used; entity encoding alone is not a substitute for sanitizing untrusted HTML.
About HTML Encoder & Decoder
Our free HTML encoder and decoder tool converts special characters into their HTML entity equivalents and reverses the process. Characters like angle brackets, ampersands, and quotation marks have special meaning in HTML and must be encoded to display correctly on web pages and to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
HTML entity encoding replaces reserved characters with named or numeric entity references. For example, < becomes <, & becomes &, and " becomes ". This process ensures that browsers render the characters as text rather than interpreting them as HTML markup, which is critical for displaying user-generated content safely.
Nothing you enter is uploaded, which makes it a good fit for encoding sensitive content, sanitizing form inputs during development, or quickly looking up HTML entity references. The built-in reference table covers the most commonly used HTML entities for instant access.
Key Features
- Bidirectional encoding and decoding of HTML entities in real time
- Support for named entities (&), decimal (&), and hexadecimal (&) formats
- Comprehensive handling of all reserved HTML characters
- Built-in quick reference table for common HTML entities
- One-click copy to clipboard for encoded or decoded output
- Security-focused encoding that prevents XSS and injection attacks
- Interactive examples covering HTML tags, scripts, and form elements
- Results appear instantly, and nothing you paste is uploaded
- Clear all button to reset inputs and outputs
- Dark mode support for comfortable viewing
How to Use the HTML Encoder
- Enter your text: Type or paste HTML code, plain text with special characters, or already-encoded entities into the input field.
- View encoded output: The left output panel instantly shows the text with the HTML-reserved characters (ampersand, angle brackets, quotes and slash) replaced by their entity equivalents.
- View decoded output: The right output panel decodes any HTML entities in your input back to their original characters.
- Copy the result: Click the Copy button next to either output to copy the encoded or decoded text to your clipboard.
- Use the reference table: Click any entity in the Common HTML Entities section to load it and see the character it decodes to, or use it as a quick lookup guide.
Use Cases
- XSS Prevention: Encode user-generated content before rendering it in HTML to prevent cross-site scripting attacks and script injection.
- Displaying Code Snippets: Encode HTML, CSS, or JavaScript code so it displays as readable text on web pages instead of being executed by the browser.
- Email Templates: Encode special characters in HTML email templates to ensure consistent rendering across different email clients.
- CMS Content Management: Sanitize content submitted through content management systems to prevent broken layouts and security vulnerabilities.
- Database Storage: Encode text before storing it in databases to prevent SQL injection and ensure special characters are preserved correctly.
- XML Document Processing: Encode reserved characters for safe inclusion in XML documents and XHTML pages that share the same entity rules.
- API Response Handling: Decode HTML entities received from APIs or web scraping to extract clean, readable text content.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HTML entity encoding?
HTML entity encoding replaces characters that have special meaning in HTML (like <, >, &, and ") with entity references that browsers display as text. This prevents the browser from interpreting them as HTML markup or code.
Why is HTML encoding important for security?
Without proper encoding, attackers can inject malicious scripts through user input fields. HTML encoding neutralizes these attacks by converting script tags and event handlers into harmless text that the browser displays rather than executes.
What is the difference between named and numeric entities?
Named entities use descriptive names (like & for &), while numeric entities use decimal (&) or hexadecimal (&) character codes. Named entities are more readable, but numeric entities can represent any Unicode character.
Which characters need to be encoded in HTML?
At minimum, you should encode the five reserved HTML characters: < (less than), > (greater than), & (ampersand), " (double quote), and ' (single quote/apostrophe). Additional characters like non-breaking spaces and copyright symbols also have named entities.
Tips & Best Practices
- Always encode user input: Any content submitted by users should be HTML-encoded before being rendered on a page to prevent XSS vulnerabilities.
- Encode on output, not input: Store original text in your database and encode it only when rendering to HTML. This preserves the original data and allows you to encode differently for different contexts.
- Use the reference table: The built-in HTML entities reference provides quick access to common entities like copyright (©), registered (®), and trademark (™) symbols.
- Test with real-world input: Use the example buttons to test with HTML tags, script tags, and form elements to see how encoding neutralizes potentially dangerous content.
- Do not double-encode: If your text already contains HTML entities, decoding first and then re-encoding prevents issues like &amp; appearing in your output.
- Consider context: HTML attribute values need different encoding rules than text content. Always use proper encoding functions in your programming language for the specific context.