Our free HTML encoder and decoder tool converts special characters to HTML entities and decodes HTML entities back to readable text. Essential for web developers, content creators, and anyone working with HTML to prevent XSS attacks and display special characters correctly.
Using our HTML encoder is simple. Paste your text into the input field. Click "Encode" to convert special characters like <, >, &, and quotes into HTML entities (<, >, &, etc.). Click "Decode" to convert HTML entities back to their original characters. Use "Copy Result" to copy the output. This tool is perfect for sanitizing user input, displaying code samples on web pages, or fixing broken HTML entities in your content.
HTML entities are special codes that represent characters that have special meaning in HTML or are difficult to type on a keyboard. They start with & and end with ;. For example, < represents the less-than symbol (<), > represents greater-than (>), and & represents the ampersand itself (&). HTML entities are essential because characters like < and > are used for HTML tags, so if you want to display them as text (not as code), you must encode them. There are hundreds of HTML entities covering mathematical symbols, currency signs, accented letters, and special characters from various languages.
Essential Characters: < (<), > (>), & (&), " ("), ' (')
Spaces and Layout: (non-breaking space),   (wide space),   (thin space)
Common Symbols: © (©), ® (®), ™ (™), € (€), £ (£), ¥ (¥)
Mathematical: × (×), ÷ (÷), ± (±), ≠ (≠), ≤ (≤), ≥ (≥)
Web developers encode user-generated content to prevent XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks where malicious code could be injected. Content writers encode special characters when writing HTML documentation or tutorials that show code examples. Bloggers encode code snippets to display them as text rather than executing them. Email marketers encode special characters in HTML emails to ensure proper display across email clients. SEO specialists encode meta descriptions and titles containing special characters. Forum administrators sanitize user posts to prevent HTML injection. Database administrators encode data before inserting into HTML contexts. Developers encode characters when building XML, RSS feeds, or sitemap files.
HTML encoding is crucial for web security, particularly preventing XSS attacks. When displaying user input on a web page without encoding, malicious users could inject JavaScript code through tags like <script>. By encoding special characters, you convert potentially dangerous code into harmless text that displays as-is instead of executing. For example, encoding "<script>alert('XSS')</script>" makes it display as text rather than running the alert. Always encode user input before displaying it on web pages, especially in contexts like comments, profile names, search results, and form submissions.
Encode HTML when displaying user-generated content on web pages to prevent security vulnerabilities. Encode when showing code examples or tutorials where you want to display HTML tags as text rather than rendering them. Encode special characters in XML, RSS feeds, and other markup languages that share HTML's syntax. Encode email content when sending HTML emails to ensure special characters display correctly. Encode data attributes and meta tags containing special characters. However, don't encode content that you're intentionally using as HTML - only encode what should be displayed as plain text.
HTML entities come in two forms: named entities like © and numeric entities like © (both represent ©). Named entities are more readable but there's a limited set of them. Numeric entities use Unicode character codes and can represent any character. Decimal format uses © while hexadecimal uses ©. Named entities are better for common symbols as they're easier to remember and read in source code. Numeric entities are necessary for unusual characters or symbols without named equivalents. Our tool uses numeric entities for broad character support.
All HTML encoding and decoding happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. No data is transmitted to servers, ensuring complete privacy for sensitive content. The tool processes text instantly and works offline once the page is loaded.