HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder
Convert special characters to their HTML entity equivalents or decode HTML entities back to characters. Prevents XSS vulnerabilities by properly escaping user input for HTML output. Supports named entities (&), decimal (&), and hexadecimal (&) formats.
Common HTML Entities
&→&<→<>→>"→"'→'/→/`→`=→=All processing happens locally in your browser — nothing is sent to any server.
How to Use
- 1
Choose Mode
Select Encode to convert special characters to HTML entities, or Decode to convert entities back to characters.
- 2
Enter Your Text
Paste HTML code with special characters or HTML entity strings to decode.
- 3
Copy the Result
Click the action button and use the copy button to grab the result.
Examples by Niche
Encode "<script>alert("XSS")</script>" to safely display code snippets in HTML pages
Decode "&amp; &lt;div&gt;" back to "& <div>" when migrating content between systems
Encode special characters in HTML email templates to ensure consistent rendering across email clients
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to encode HTML entities?
Encoding HTML entities prevents browsers from interpreting special characters as HTML markup. This is critical for preventing XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks and for correctly displaying characters like <, >, and & in web pages.
What characters are encoded?
The encoder converts & < > " ' / ` and = to their HTML entity equivalents. These are the characters that can cause issues in HTML context.
Can this tool decode numeric HTML entities?
Yes, the decoder supports named entities (&amp;), decimal entities (&#38;), and hexadecimal entities (&#x26;) — all standard HTML entity formats.
What is the difference between HTML entities and URL encoding?
HTML entities encode characters for safe display within HTML documents (e.g., &lt; for <), while URL encoding (percent-encoding) encodes characters for safe inclusion in URLs (e.g., %3C for <). They serve different purposes and use different syntax, so you should use the correct encoding for each context.
What are HTML entities?
Special codes that represent reserved HTML characters like < for < and & for &.
When to use HTML entities?
When displaying code snippets, special symbols, or characters that conflict with HTML syntax.
Are HTML entities case-sensitive?
Yes. & is valid but & is not. Entity names are case-sensitive.
What is the difference between named and numeric entities?
Named entities use words like ©. Numeric use codes like ©. Both display the same.
How to encode special characters?
Use our HTML entities tool to encode any special character into its entity form.
Do HTML entities affect page speed?
Minimally. They are slightly larger than the original character but the impact is negligible.
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