What is the difference between encoding and decoding HTML entities?

Encoding turns special characters such as , & and quotes into entity codes like < and & so they display literally and never break your HTML. Decoding does the reverse, converting those entity codes back into the real characters they represent.

What does the "Numeric (all non-ASCII)" option do?

By default only the five HTML-significant characters are escaped. With the numeric option on, every accented or non-ASCII character — like é, €, or an emoji — is additionally encoded as a decimal reference (&#NNN;), which keeps your markup safe even in ASCII-only or legacy-encoding environments.

Does it decode named, decimal, and hex entities?

Yes. The decoder resolves named entities (such as © and —), decimal references (é), and hexadecimal references (é). Unrecognised or malformed entities are passed through unchanged so your text is never corrupted.

Is my text uploaded anywhere?

No. All encoding and decoding happens entirely in your browser on your device. Nothing you type is sent to a server, so the tool works offline once loaded and keeps your text completely private.

Is the HTML Entity Encoder free to use?

Yes, it is completely free with no account, sign-up, or limits. You can encode and decode as much text as you like, as often as you like.

HTML Entity Encoder

WEB

Free online HTML entity encoder and decoder — escape special characters to named or numeric entities and convert them back to plain text.

Numeric (all non-ASCII)Also escape accented and non-ASCII characters as &#NNN;

OUTPUT

Output appears here

What it does

HTML Entity Encoder lets you safely escape text for use in HTML, XML, and web pages, then decode it back whenever you need the original characters. In encode mode it converts the five HTML-significant characters — ampersand, less-than, greater-than, double quote, and apostrophe — into named entities like & and <, and an optional numeric toggle turns every accented or non-ASCII character into a decimal &#NNN; reference so your markup stays clean and portable across any encoding. In decode mode it resolves named, decimal, and hexadecimal (&#xNN;) entities back into real characters, leaving any unknown entity untouched so nothing is lost. The whole tool runs directly in your browser through Carbide — it is completely free, works offline once loaded, never uploads your text to a server, and requires no account. Whether you are pasting code into a CMS, debugging escaped output, or preparing copy for email and XML, it gives you a fast, private way to switch between readable text and entity-safe markup. Copy the result with one tap or share it straight from the tool.

How to use the HTML Entity Encoder

Choose Encode to escape text or Decode to convert entities back.
Type or paste your text into the input box.
In encode mode, turn on "Numeric (all non-ASCII)" if you also want accented characters escaped.
Watch the converted result appear instantly in the output panel.
Tap Copy to grab the result, or share it directly.
Switch modes any time to round-trip the same text.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between encoding and decoding HTML entities?: Encoding turns special characters such as <, >, & and quotes into entity codes like < and & so they display literally and never break your HTML. Decoding does the reverse, converting those entity codes back into the real characters they represent.
What does the "Numeric (all non-ASCII)" option do?: By default only the five HTML-significant characters are escaped. With the numeric option on, every accented or non-ASCII character — like é, €, or an emoji — is additionally encoded as a decimal reference (&#NNN;), which keeps your markup safe even in ASCII-only or legacy-encoding environments.
Does it decode named, decimal, and hex entities?: Yes. The decoder resolves named entities (such as © and —), decimal references (é), and hexadecimal references (é). Unrecognised or malformed entities are passed through unchanged so your text is never corrupted.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?: No. All encoding and decoding happens entirely in your browser on your device. Nothing you type is sent to a server, so the tool works offline once loaded and keeps your text completely private.
Is the HTML Entity Encoder free to use?: Yes, it is completely free with no account, sign-up, or limits. You can encode and decode as much text as you like, as often as you like.

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