Encode & decode HTML entities instantly — for developers, content creators and editors.

Real-time Shortcuts: Ctrl+E Encode • Ctrl+D Decode
Smart detection: auto-detects whether input looks encoded.
Try sample text on load. Output auto-updates as you type.

HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder – Encode & Decode HTML Characters Online

The HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder is a free online utility that allows you to convert special characters into their corresponding HTML entities and decode HTML entities back into readable text. This tool is extremely useful for web developers, programmers, bloggers, SEO professionals, and anyone working with HTML content.

HTML entities are commonly used to display reserved characters like <, >, &, and quotation marks safely inside web pages without breaking the HTML structure. With this tool, you can instantly encode or decode text without installing any software or writing code.

What Are HTML Entities?

HTML entities are special sequences of characters used to represent symbols and characters that have reserved meanings in HTML or cannot be typed easily on a keyboard. Every HTML entity begins with an ampersand (&) and ends with a semicolon (;).

Browsers interpret certain characters such as < and > as part of HTML markup. If you want these characters to appear as visible text instead of being interpreted as code, they must be encoded using HTML entities.

Character HTML Entity
< &lt;
> &gt;
& &amp;
" &quot;
' &#39;

Why Use an HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder?

1. Display HTML Code Safely

When publishing tutorials, documentation, or code snippets, raw HTML tags may break the page layout or get executed by the browser. Encoding HTML entities ensures that code appears exactly as written.

2. Improve Website Security

Encoding user input helps protect against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks by preventing malicious HTML or JavaScript from being executed on your website.

3. Prevent Data Corruption

Special characters can cause issues when saving content in databases, sending emails, or processing form inputs. HTML encoding preserves data integrity.

4. Content Management & SEO

CMS platforms and SEO tools often require properly encoded content to avoid formatting errors and indexing problems.

How to Use This HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder

  1. Enter or paste your text into the input box.
  2. Select whether you want to Encode or Decode the content.
  3. The converted output will appear instantly.
  4. Use the copy button to copy the result.
  5. Clear the input to start a new conversion.

For example, encoding <h1>Hello</h1> will produce &lt;h1&gt;Hello&lt;/h1&gt;. Decoding works in the reverse direction.

Practical Use Cases

  • Publishing HTML code examples in blogs and tutorials
  • Safely displaying user-generated content
  • Encoding text before storing it in databases
  • Cleaning copied HTML content from editors
  • Preparing content for email templates

This tool is especially useful for developers and content creators who work with HTML daily and need quick, reliable conversions without writing scripts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the difference between encoding and decoding?

Encoding converts special characters into HTML entities, while decoding converts HTML entities back into readable characters.

Is this tool safe to use?

Yes. All processing is done locally in your browser. No data is stored or transmitted to any server.

Does this tool support all HTML entities?

The tool supports commonly used named and numeric HTML entities used in modern web development.

Can I use this tool on mobile devices?

Yes. This tool is fully responsive and works on mobile phones, tablets, and desktops.

Is this tool free?

Yes. The HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder is completely free to use with no limitations.

Why Choose Qlix HTML Tools?

Qlix provides fast, reliable, and easy-to-use online tools designed for developers, marketers, students, and professionals. Our tools focus on simplicity, privacy, and accuracy to help you work efficiently without distractions.

Try our HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder today and simplify your HTML content handling instantly.

They are sequences starting with & and ending with ; (e.g., &amp; &lt;). They allow you to represent characters that would otherwise be treated as HTML syntax.

Encoding turns reserved characters into their entity representations. Decoding returns entities back to the original characters.

While encoding helps prevent unintentional markup rendering, full XSS protection requires proper context-aware encoding and server-side sanitization. Use encoding as part of a broader security approach.

Yes — both named (&copy;) and numeric (© or ©) entity forms are recognized and handled.

Auto-detection checks for entity-like patterns. It's robust for common cases but you can always choose Encode/Decode explicitly.