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Free Online HTML Entity Encoder

Convert special characters to HTML entities or decode HTML entities back to readable text.

About HTML Entity Encoding

HTML entity encoding converts special characters like <, >, &, ", and ' into their corresponding HTML entities. This prevents browsers from interpreting these characters as HTML markup, which is essential for displaying code snippets, preventing XSS attacks, and ensuring correct rendering of content.

How to Use

Why HTML Entity Encoding Matters

Proper HTML entity encoding is crucial for web security and correct content display. Without encoding, characters like <script> could be interpreted as HTML tags, creating cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. Always encode user-generated content before rendering it in HTML.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which characters are encoded?
The encoder converts the five most critical HTML special characters: ampersand (&), less-than (<), greater-than (>), double quote ("), and single quote (') into their HTML entity equivalents.
What is the difference between named and numeric entities?
Named entities use descriptive names like &amp; while numeric entities use character codes like &#38;. Both produce the same result, but named entities are more readable.
Does this help prevent XSS attacks?
Yes, encoding user input before displaying it in HTML prevents the browser from interpreting special characters as markup, which is a key defense against cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
Can I decode numeric HTML entities?
Yes, the decoder handles both named entities (like &amp;) and numeric entities (like &#38; and &#x26;) and converts them back to their original characters.
Is my data stored anywhere?
No. All processing happens in your browser using JavaScript. No data is sent to any server.