HTML Encoder & Decoder - Free HTML Entity Tool

Convert special characters to HTML entities or decode HTML entities to text. Prevent XSS attacks with proper HTML encoding.

About HTML Encoder & Decoder Tool

What is HTML Encoding?

HTML encoding converts special characters into HTML entities to prevent them from being interpreted as HTML code. For example, < becomes < and> becomes >. This is crucial for displaying user-generated content safely and preventing Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. HTML encoding ensures that special characters are displayed as text rather than executed as code.

How to Use HTML Encoder/Decoder

  1. Select Mode: Choose "Encode" to convert special characters to HTML entities, or "Decode" to convert HTML entities back to characters.
  2. Enter Text: Paste your text or HTML entities into the input field.
  3. Convert: Click the "Encode" or "Decode" button to perform the conversion.
  4. Copy Result: Use the "Copy to Clipboard" button to copy the converted text.
  5. Use in HTML: Paste the encoded text safely into your HTML documents.

Why Use HTML Encoding?

HTML encoding is essential for web security and proper content display. It prevents XSS attacks by ensuring user input can't inject malicious scripts. HTML encoding is mandatory when displaying user-generated content, form submissions, database content, or any untrusted data in web pages. Without proper HTML encoding, attackers can inject JavaScript code that steals cookies, session tokens, or performs unauthorized actions.

Common HTML Entities

  • < (Less than): Encoded as &lt; - Used to display < symbol
  • > (Greater than): Encoded as &gt; - Used to display > symbol
  • & (Ampersand): Encoded as &amp; - Used to display & symbol
  • " (Quote): Encoded as &quot; - Used to display " symbol
  • ' (Apostrophe): Encoded as &apos; - Used to display ' symbol
  •   (Space): Encoded as &nbsp; - Non-breaking space

Who Should Use This Tool?

This HTML encoder/decoder is essential for web developers, security professionals, content managers, and anyone handling user-generated content. Whether you're building web applications, preventing XSS attacks, displaying code snippets, or managing CMS content, this tool provides quick and reliable HTML entity conversion.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

HTML encoding converts special characters into HTML entities to prevent them from being interpreted as HTML code. It's crucial for security (preventing XSS attacks) and proper content display. Without HTML encoding, user input containing < or> could inject malicious scripts or break your page layout.

HTML encoding prevents XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) by converting dangerous characters like < and> into safe HTML entities (< and >). This ensures that user input is displayed as text rather than executed as code. For example, <script> is displayed as text instead of running as JavaScript.

HTML encoding uses HTML entities (<, >, &) for displaying special characters in HTML content, while URL encoding uses percent encoding (%20, %3C) for URLs. Each serves a different purpose - HTML encoding for HTML content and URL encoding for URLs and query parameters.

Yes! Select "Decode" mode, paste your HTML entities (like <div>), and click decode. The tool will convert all HTML entities back to their original characters. This is useful for reading encoded content or extracting text from HTML source code.

Yes, you should ALWAYS HTML encode user input before displaying it in HTML. This is a fundamental security practice to prevent XSS attacks. Never trust user input - always encode it. Modern frameworks often do this automatically, but it's important to verify and understand the encoding process.

The most common HTML entities are: &lt; (<), &gt; (>), &amp; (&), &quot; ("), &apos; ('), and &nbsp; (non-breaking space). These are essential for displaying special characters that have meaning in HTML, ensuring they appear as text rather than being interpreted as code.