Free HTML Entity Encoder & Decoder
Updated September 2026
Encode and decode HTML entities: convert & < > " ' and special characters to their HTML equivalents and back — free online HTML encoder and decoder.
Verified Capabilities
& < > " ' / are converted to their entity equivalents.
Uses the browser's own HTML parser to decode, so named entities like © work too, not just the six Encode produces.
Shows the input/output length difference after each encode or decode.
Encode does not convert non-ASCII symbols (©, —, etc.) into entities — only the six HTML-reserved characters.
Developers need fast, accurate utilities that slot into their workflow without friction. The HTML Encoder / Decoder provides exactly that — no installation, no account, no context-switching.
Encode and decode HTML entities: convert & < > " ' and special characters to their HTML equivalents and back — free online HTML encoder and decoder. Results are immediate — no waiting, no loading screens, no account required.
Who uses the HTML Encoder / Decoder?
- Web developers sanitizing user-generated content before rendering it in HTML to prevent XSS.
- Content authors encoding special characters like quotes and ampersands in article and blog post HTML.
- Developers decoding HTML entities pasted from a CMS or scraped page back into plain text.
Accepted input formats
The HTML Encoder / Decoder accepts any standard input for this utility type. Minified, pretty-printed, and partially-formatted inputs are all handled — the tool normalises whitespace and encoding before processing. Unicode strings, multi-byte characters, special symbols, and multi-line blocks are fully supported. Very large inputs (several megabytes) may take a few extra seconds on lower-powered devices; closing unused browser tabs can free up memory for better performance. Output follows the same format conventions used by standard command-line tools and IDE extensions for this operation type.
Why use Allio Tools's HTML Encoder / Decoder?
Your code and data stay entirely in your browser — nothing is logged, stored, or transmitted. The tool is completely free with no usage limits, no premium tiers, and no account required. Available in 11 languages and optimised for all screen sizes, the HTML Encoder / Decoder works on desktop, tablet, and mobile with no app download needed.
See also:JSON Formatter · Base64 Encoder/Decoder · Regex Tester
How the HTML Encoder / Decoder works
Paste your text or HTML content into the input field.
Click Encode HTML Entities to convert & < > " ' / into their HTML entity equivalents.
Or click Decode HTML Entities to convert HTML entities (including named ones like ©) back into plain characters.
Copy the result with the Copy button, or Clear to start over.
Tips & tricks
- Encode only touches & < > " ' / — it won't turn © or em dashes into entities, so don't rely on it for full symbol-to-entity conversion.
- Decode handles any valid HTML entity your browser recognizes, not just the six Encode produces — it uses the browser's own HTML parser.
- Always encode the & character first when writing entities by hand — encoding it last would double-encode any entities you already wrote.
- The character-count line below the output shows exactly how much longer (or shorter) encoding or decoding made your text.
Popular HTML Encoder/Decoder Conversions
Frequently Asked Questions
What are HTML entities and why do I need them?
HTML entities are text codes representing characters that have special meaning in HTML: < starts a tag, & starts an entity, > ends a tag. To display these characters literally in HTML without them being interpreted as markup, you encode them: < → <, & → &.
What is the difference between HTML encoding and URL encoding?
HTML encoding converts characters to HTML entities for safe display in web pages (&, <, >). URL encoding converts characters to percent-encoded sequences for use in URLs (%26, %3C, %3E). They serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.
Which characters does this tool encode?
Encode converts exactly six characters: & → &, < → <, > → >, " → ", ' → ', and / → /. It doesn't convert other symbols like © or — into entities; for those, insert the entity code directly.
What is the difference between named entities and numeric entities?
Named entities (&, <, ©) are easier to read but need browser support for the specific name. Numeric entities use a decimal (&) or hex (&) code point instead. Decode on this tool handles both — your browser's HTML parser resolves any valid entity.
When should I use HTML encoding in user-generated content?
Always encode user-generated text before inserting it into HTML to prevent XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks. If a user enters <script>alert('XSS')</script>, encode it to <script>alert('XSS')</script> so it renders as text, not executable code.
What formats does the HTML Encoder/Decoder support?
The HTML Encoder/Decoder converts between html, html entities, plain text, encoded html, and more. All conversions work in both directions — instantly, with no sign-up required.
Is my data safe when using the HTML Encoder / Decoder?
Completely safe. The HTML Encoder / Decoder processes everything locally in your browser. No input data, results, or usage information is ever transmitted to or stored on any server.
Can I use the HTML Encoder / Decoder output in commercial projects?
Yes. The HTML Encoder / Decoder is a utility tool and its output carries no licensing restrictions. You are free to use results in any project, commercial or personal.
Does the HTML Encoder / Decoder follow official standards?
Yes. The HTML Encoder / Decoder is built to comply with the relevant industry standard or specification for this utility type. If you encounter an unexpected result, verify your input against the specification — edge cases outside the standard may produce undefined behaviour.
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