HTML entity encoder and decoder

Encode reserved HTML characters or decode named and numeric entities.

Privacy: runs in your browser

This tool processes your input in this browser. Inputs and results are excluded from analytics. Recent tools save tool names, visit counts and last-visit times. Favorites store only tool names. Draft saving is optional and stays on this device; delete saved text with the draft controls. Loading text from a URL is optional and contacts that server; its URL and your IP address are visible to the server. When a button sends your result to another tool, it waits in this tab until that tool opens it, for up to a minute, and is then deleted.

Copy link includes the inputs you choose to share in the address. Anyone with that link can reopen them. Files and generated results are excluded. Password and key tools share settings only.

English

Your text

Direction

Your result

Entity format and characters

Entity format

Characters to encode

Named entities fall back to numeric forms when a named form is unavailable.

Show markup as text

Escape reserved characters to display a piece of markup as text. Choose named, decimal or hexadecimal entities. The result is always shown as text here, so pasting a script does not execute it.

Next: URL encoder and decoder

Worked example

The opening angle bracket becomes < in named mode, < in decimal mode, or < in hexadecimal mode.

Next: Base64 encoder and decoder

Before you rely on the result

Escaping HTML is not a general security fix for JavaScript, CSS or URLs. Each context has its own escaping rules. Decoding reveals markup; do not insert it into a live page unless you trust it.

Cite this page

Citation style

ToolOctopus. “HTML entity encoder and decoder.” Updated 2026-10-11. https://tooloctopus.com/html-entity-encoder-decoder.

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Citation formatting uses citeproc-js by Frank Bennett and Citation Style Language styles. License and source code.