Need to display code snippets or special characters on your website without breaking the layout? Our free HTML Entities Encoder & Decoder is the perfect solution. Instantly convert text into safe HTML entities or decode them back to their original characters with the click of a button.

How to Use the HTML Entities Tool

Our tool is straightforward and provides instant results:

1. Enter Your Text: Paste your text or HTML code into the "Input" box.
2. Choose an Action: Click Encode to convert special characters to HTML entities, or click Decode to convert entities back into characters.
3. Copy the Output: The converted text will appear in the "Output" box, ready for you to copy and use.

Example: Encoding HTML for Display

Imagine you want to show an HTML code example in a blog post. You need to encode it so the browser displays the code itself, not the rendered result.

Before (Raw Code):

<h1>Titles & "Quotes"</h1>

After (Encoded for Display):

<h1>Titles & "Quotes"</h1>

What Are HTML Entities?

HTML entities are special codes used to represent characters that have a reserved meaning in HTML. The most common reserved characters are the less-than sign (<), the greater-than sign (>), and the ampersand (&). If you type these characters directly into your HTML, the browser will try to interpret them as tags or entity references, which can break your page layout or create security vulnerabilities.

By converting these characters into their entity equivalents (e.g., < becomes <), you tell the browser to display the character itself, not to interpret it as code.

Using HTML entities is essential for:

• Displaying Code Snippets: Safely showing examples of HTML, XML, or other code on a web page.
• Preventing Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Encoding user-submitted content before displaying it on a page is a critical security measure.
• Using Special Symbols: Displaying characters that aren't on a standard keyboard, like the copyright symbol (©) or a registered trademark symbol (®).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: When should I encode text to HTML entities?

You should always encode text before displaying it on a web page if it comes from an external source (like a user comment or a database) or if it contains characters that could be interpreted as HTML code. This is a fundamental practice for web security and for correctly displaying code examples.

Q2: What is the difference between named and numeric entities?

A character can be represented by a named entity (like <) or a numeric one (like <). They both produce the same result. Named entities are easier for humans to read, but numeric entities have broader support for obscure characters. Our tool primarily uses named entities for better readability.

Q3: Is my data safe to paste into this tool?

Yes, 100%. This is a client-side tool. All encoding and decoding operations happen locally in your web browser using JavaScript. Your text is never sent to our servers, ensuring it remains completely private.