HTML Encoder / Decoder

HTML encoding (or escaping) is the process of converting reserved characters in HTML (such as <, >, &, ", and ') into their corresponding HTML entity representations. This prevents the browser from interpreting them as HTML tags, which is critical for security and displaying raw code.

Named entities use friendly abbreviations (e.g. &lt; for <). Decimal entities use the Unicode code point in base 10 (e.g. &#60;). Hexadecimal entities use the Unicode code point in base 16 (e.g. &#x3C;). All three are valid in HTML.

Yes, HTML encoding untrusted user input before rendering it in the DOM is one of the primary defense mechanisms against XSS attacks, as it prevents scripts inside <script> or event handlers from executing.

No. All encoding and decoding operations happen entirely client-side in your web browser using JavaScript. No data ever leaves your device.

If your HTML tags (like <b> or <img>) are showing up as visible text on the webpage, it means they have been HTML encoded. The < and > characters were converted to < and >. You must decode them back to raw HTML for the browser to render them.

URL encoding is used to safely pass data in a web address (query strings and paths). HTML encoding is used to safely display text on a webpage by escaping characters like < and > so the browser doesn't mistakenly parse them as executable code.

At a minimum, you must encode the characters < (less than), > (greater than), & (ampersand), " (double quote), and ' (single quote) whenever you display untrusted text on a webpage.

Yes! Emojis and special characters can be encoded into decimal (e.g. 😀) or hexadecimal entities. This is useful if your database or text file does not fully support UTF-8 encoding.

Double encoding happens if you HTML encode a string that is already encoded. For example, & becomes &. This will display visibly wrong on the webpage. You should decode it first before re-encoding, or ensure you only encode once.

  is the named HTML entity for a Non-Breaking Space. It prevents the browser from collapsing multiple spaces into one or breaking the line at that point. Our tool can easily decode these back into standard spaces.