HTML Entity Encoder and Decoder
Convert special characters like ampersands, angle brackets, and quotes into safe HTML entities, or decode entity text back into plain characters. It prevents broken markup wherever raw text meets HTML.
How to use the HTML Entity Encoder Decoder
- Paste text containing special characters into the input area.
- Press encode to convert characters such as <, >, and & into entity form.
- Use decode to convert entity text back into readable characters.
- Copy the output into your HTML, template, or documentation.
When the HTML Entity Encoder Decoder is useful
- Displaying code snippets inside tutorials without breaking the page.
- Escaping user-style text before inserting it into HTML templates.
- Fixing pasted text where ampersands invalidate markup validation.
- Decoding entity-heavy text copied from old web pages or databases.
How the HTML Entity Encoder Decoder works
Encoding maps the five characters that define HTML structure, ampersand, both angle brackets, and both quote types, to their named entities, which is the minimal safe set recommended for text nodes and attributes. Decoding reverses the process, recognizing both named and numeric entity forms. The operation is a local string transformation, so nothing is transmitted.
Limits to keep in mind
Encode only the text content; running full HTML documents through the encoder will display their source rather than render them.
Frequently asked questions
Which characters does it encode?
The ampersand, less-than and greater-than signs, and single and double quotes.
Can it decode numeric entities?
Yes, numeric entity references are decoded along with named ones.
Will encoding break my text formatting?
No. Only the reserved characters change; the rest of your text is untouched.
Last reviewed: October 2026.