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HTML Entity Converter: Encode & Decode HTML Entities

Encode special characters to HTML entities (<, &, ") and decode entities back to text (© → ©). Handles math, currency, arrows, and accented characters. Two-way conversion with history.

HTML Entity Converter

Paste or type text, then click Encode to Entities or Decode to Text. Pasting text that looks like entities (e.g. <) will show the decoded result automatically.

Character count: 0 · Word count: 0

Recent conversions

Last 5 unique conversions appear here. Stored in your browser.

HTML Entity Converter: Encode & Decode HTML Entities

Encode text to HTML entities (< → &lt;, & → &amp;) and decode HTML entities to text (&copy; → ©). Free HTML entity encoder and HTML entity decoder for special characters, math symbols, currency, arrows, and accented letters. Use it to escape content for HTML or decode entity strings. Free, runs in your browser—no sign-up required.

What is an HTML entity converter?

An HTML entity converter (or HTML entity encoder/decoder) converts between plain text and HTML entities. Encode turns special characters into entities so they display safely in HTML: < becomes &lt;, & becomes &amp;, and quotes become &quot;. Decode turns entities back into characters: &copy; → ©, &nbsp; → space. This tool handles named entities, decimal (e.g. &#169;), and hex (e.g. &#x00A9;), plus math, currency, arrows, and accented characters.

Paste your text or entity string, click Encode to Entities or Decode to Text. If you paste text that already looks like entities, the tool shows the decoded result automatically. The last 5 conversions are saved in your browser. All processing is local—no data is sent to a server.

How to encode special characters to HTML entities

To encode to HTML entities, paste or type your text in the input panel and click Encode to Entities. The tool converts & to &amp;, < to &lt;, > to &gt;, double quote to &quot;, and single quote to &#39;. Characters outside ASCII (e.g. ©, é, →, €) are converted to numeric entities (e.g. &#169;, &#233;) so your output is safe for HTML and older systems. Use encoding when inserting user content into HTML to prevent XSS or broken markup.

Encode: & < > " ' → &amp; &lt; &gt; &quot; ' · Non-ASCII → &#code;

How to decode HTML entities to text

To decode HTML entities, paste a string that contains entities (e.g. &lt;div&gt; or &copy;) and click Decode to Text. The tool supports named entities (&copy;, &nbsp;, &euro;), decimal (&#169;), and hex (&#x00A9;). Decoding is useful when you have entity-encoded content from a CMS, API, or database and need to show or edit the real characters.

Common use cases: when to use an HTML entity encoder or decoder

Web developers use an HTML entity encoder to escape user input before inserting it into HTML and avoid XSS or broken tags. Content editors use a decoder when copy-pasting entity-encoded text (e.g. &ldquo;curly quotes&rdquo;) and need plain quotes. Designers and copywriters use it to decode symbols (©, ®, €, →) from entity form. API and CMS users often receive entity-encoded strings and use this tool to decode HTML entities to readable text. Anyone who needs to encode special characters for HTML or convert HTML entities to text can use this converter. All processing runs in your browser—no data is sent to a server.

HTML Entity Converter FAQ

? How do I encode < and & for HTML?

Paste your text in the input panel and click Encode to Entities. The tool converts < to &lt;, & to &amp;, > to &gt;, and quotes to &quot; and '. Use this when inserting user content into HTML to prevent broken markup or security issues.

? How do I decode &copy; and other entities to characters?

Paste the entity string (e.g. &copy; or &lt;div&gt;) in the input and click Decode to Text. The tool converts named entities (&copy;, &nbsp;), decimal (&#169;), and hex (&#x00A9;) to the actual characters. If you paste entity-like text, the decoded result may appear automatically.

? What is the difference between HTML entity encode and decode?

Encode turns special characters into entity form (e.g. < → &lt;) so they display safely in HTML. Decode turns entities back into characters (e.g. &copy; → ©). Use encode when building HTML from user input; use decode when you have entity-encoded text and need plain characters.

? Does this tool support numeric entities like &#169;?

Yes. The decoder supports decimal entities (&#169; for ©) and hex entities (&#x00A9;). The encoder converts non-ASCII characters (copyright, accented letters, symbols) to numeric entities so output is ASCII-safe and compatible with any HTML.

? Why encode ampersand and angle brackets in HTML?

In HTML, & starts an entity, and < and > start and end tags. If you insert raw & or < from user input, the browser may interpret them as entities or tags, breaking the page or creating security risks. Encoding them to &amp;, &lt;, and &gt; ensures they display as literal characters.

? Can I decode math symbols, currency, and arrows?

Yes. The converter supports named and numeric entities for common symbols: math (×, ÷, ±), currency (€, £, ¥), arrows (→, ←, ↑, ↓), and accented characters (é, ñ, ü). Paste entity-encoded content and click Decode to get the actual symbols.