HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder
HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder
Enter text or HTML to encode special characters into HTML entities, or paste entities to decode them back.
What is HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder?
The HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder is a free online tool that converts special characters in your text or HTML code into their corresponding HTML entity equivalents, and vice versa. HTML entities are coded representations of characters that have special meaning in HTML — such as <, >, &, and " — which must be encoded to display correctly in web browsers. This tool supports named entities (like &), decimal numeric entities (like &), and hexadecimal entities (like &). It is essential for web developers, bloggers, content creators, and anyone who needs to safely display code snippets, special symbols, or international characters within HTML documents. All processing happens instantly in your browser with zero data sent to any server.
How to Use HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder
- Select the Mode — choose "Encode" to convert characters to HTML entities, or "Decode" to convert entities back to readable characters.
- Choose your preferred Encoding Type — HTML-unsafe only, named entities, decimal numeric, hexadecimal, all non-ASCII characters, or full encoding of every character.
- Type or paste your text into the Input textarea, or click the "Sample" button to load example data.
- If real-time mode is enabled, the result appears automatically. Otherwise, click the Encode or Decode button to process.
- Review the output, check the HTML preview, and use the Copy or Download buttons to save your result.
- Use the Swap button to quickly switch between encoding and decoding with the current output as new input.
Features
- Encode & Decode: Two-way conversion between plain text and HTML entities.
- Multiple Encoding Formats: Named, decimal, hexadecimal, HTML-unsafe only, all non-ASCII, and full encoding modes.
- Real-Time Processing: Automatic conversion as you type with debounced input handling for performance.
- Live HTML Preview: Instantly see how the encoded or decoded output renders in a browser.
- Swap Button: One-click to reverse the operation — move output to input and toggle encode/decode mode.
- Full Unicode Support: Handles emojis, accented characters, CJK characters, and surrogate pairs correctly.
- Entity Reference Table: Built-in reference of common HTML entities for quick lookup.
- 100% Client-Side: No data is sent to any server — everything runs securely in your browser.
Use Cases
- Displaying Code in Blog Posts: Encode HTML tags so they display as visible text instead of being rendered by the browser.
- Preventing XSS Attacks: Sanitize user input by encoding special characters before inserting them into HTML pages.
- Email Template Development: Encode special characters to ensure compatibility across email clients.
- CMS & Blogger Content: Safely embed code snippets, special symbols, and international characters in content management systems.
- Debugging HTML: Decode entity-heavy HTML source code to read and understand the actual content.
- Internationalization (i18n): Encode non-ASCII characters for maximum compatibility across browsers and systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are HTML entities?
HTML entities are special codes used to represent characters that have reserved meaning in HTML or cannot be easily typed on a keyboard. For example, < represents the less-than sign (<), and & represents the ampersand (&). They ensure characters display correctly in web pages.
When should I encode HTML entities?
You should encode HTML entities whenever you display user-generated content on a web page, embed code snippets in blog posts, or include special characters like copyright symbols, currency signs, or mathematical operators in your HTML. Encoding prevents the browser from misinterpreting characters as HTML markup.
What is the difference between named, decimal, and hexadecimal entities?
Named entities use a memorable keyword (like © for ©), decimal entities use the character's Unicode number (like ©), and hexadecimal entities use the hex version (like ©). All three produce the same result — they just use different notation. Named entities are more readable, while numeric entities work for any Unicode character.
Is my data safe when using this tool?
Yes, absolutely. This HTML Entity Encoder runs entirely in your web browser using JavaScript. No data is sent to any server, no information is stored, and no external APIs are called. Your text stays completely private on your device.
Can this tool handle large amounts of text?
Yes. The tool is optimized to handle over 100,000 characters efficiently. It uses debounced input handling and optimized string processing to prevent browser freezing. For extremely large inputs, the real-time mode can be disabled so processing only happens when you click the action button.