Show a tag as text
Characters that would be interpreted by HTML are replaced with entities, including ampersands, angle brackets, quotes, and apostrophes.
<button title="Tom & Ana's"> -> <button title="Tom & Ana's">DEVELOPER TOOLS
HTML Entity Encoder/Decoder
Convert special characters such as <, >, &, quotes, and apostrophes into HTML entities, or decode entities back to readable text.
Tool statusRuns in your browser
Preview
InputHTML detected
ResultHTML entities
Safe HTMLEscapes only the five characters that break HTML markup: & < > " '.
Full UnicodeAlso turns every other non-ASCII character — accents, emoji, symbols — into a numeric reference.
How it works
Enter your input
Fill in the values, paste your text, or upload the file this tool works with.
See results instantly
Most tools update live as you type; a few use a single button. Either way, the result appears right on this page.
Use your results
Copy, download, or share what the tool produces — you're always in control of the output.
What is HTML Entity Encoder/Decoder?
Convert characters that have special meaning in HTML into safe entities, or decode entity text back to readable characters.
UNDERSTAND THE TOOL
How to encode and decode HTML entities
When to encode entities
Encode entities when you need to show code as text, paste snippets into a CMS field, or prevent characters like < and & from being interpreted as markup.
How to use it
- Paste HTML, text, or entity-encoded content into the input box.
- Choose Encode to escape special characters.
- Choose Decode to turn entities back into readable text.
- Copy the output when it looks right.
Common uses
- Showing HTML snippets inside documentation.
- Preparing safe text for template examples.
- Cleaning copied content that contains visible entity codes.
Encoding example
Entity notes
Entity encoding helps display HTML-looking text as text. In production apps, still rely on the framework or template engine's escaping rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What characters are encoded?
The tool encodes the characters most likely to break HTML text: &, <, >, double quotes, and apostrophes.
Can it decode numeric entities?
Yes. It supports common named entities and numeric decimal or hexadecimal entities.
Does encoding sanitize unsafe HTML?
No. It escapes text for display, but it is not a complete HTML sanitizer for untrusted markup.
Which named entities are decoded?
The named map covers amp, lt, gt, quot, apos, and #39. Numeric decimal and hexadecimal entities are decoded too.
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