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HTML Encoder / Decoder

Encode and decode HTML entities online. Convert special characters to HTML entities and back.

What is an HTML Encoder/Decoder?

An HTML encoder converts special characters into HTML entities, and a decoder converts them back. Characters like <, >, &, and " have special meaning in HTML — if you display them without encoding, browsers interpret them as markup, potentially breaking your page or creating XSS (cross-site scripting) vulnerabilities.

This tool handles the conversion instantly in your browser. It’s essential for developers who embed user-generated content, build email templates, or work with code snippets that need to be displayed safely in web pages.

How to Use This HTML Encoder

  1. Paste text containing HTML characters into the input area
  2. Click “Encode” to convert characters like < to &lt;
  3. Or paste encoded text and click “Decode” to restore original characters
  4. Copy the result for use in your HTML, templates, or CMS

Common Use Cases

  • Preventing XSS attacks — Encode user input before displaying it in web pages
  • Displaying code snippets — Show HTML/XML code as text without the browser rendering it
  • Email templates — Encode special characters for reliable rendering across email clients
  • CMS content — Safely embed raw HTML entities in content management systems
  • API responses — Encode HTML in JSON/XML API responses to prevent injection

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between HTML encoding and URL encoding?

HTML encoding converts characters to HTML entities (&lt;, &amp;) for safe display in web pages. URL encoding converts characters to percent-encoded format (%20, %3D) for safe use in URLs. They serve different purposes and use different encoding schemes.

Do I need to encode all special characters?

At minimum, encode <, >, &, ", and ' — these are the characters that can break HTML or enable XSS. Most templating engines (React, Vue, Jinja2) do this automatically.