HTML Entity Encoder — Escape Special Characters Online
Encode special characters to HTML entities or decode them back. Prevents XSS attacks and broken markup. Supports named, decimal, and hex references.
Features
- ✓Encode or decode HTML entities in real time
- ✓Supports named entities (&), decimal (&), and hex (&) references
- ✓Encode all non-ASCII option for international content compatibility
- ✓Instant results as you type, no button to press
- ✓Drag-and-drop files, one-click copy, and save as .txt
- ✓Works entirely in your browser — no data uploaded
- ✓Encode all five XML-sensitive characters (<, >, &, ", ') in one pass
- ✓Decode entity-encoded strings back to their original characters automatically
- ✓Character-level and byte-level length counters for content size management
- ✓Preserve existing entities during encoding to avoid double-encoding issues
How to Use
- 1Paste your text into the input area. Toggle between Encode and Decode.
- 2Enable Encode all non-ASCII to convert non-ASCII chars (é, 中文, 🚀) to numeric entities.
- 3Results update instantly. Use Copy or Save to save.
- 4Encode a code snippet before embedding it in a blog post — paste your code and copy the encoded version to prevent HTML rendering issues.
- 5Decode RSS feed content or HTML email templates that use numeric entities — paste the encoded text and switch to Decode mode to see the original.
- 6Use named entity output for better readability when sharing encoded content with other developers.
- 7Use decimal or hex numeric entities for universal support of any Unicode character, especially when named entities don't exist.
- 8Enable Encode all non-ASCII before publishing internationalized content to legacy CMS systems that lack UTF-8 support.
- 9Batch-process multiple snippets by opening a file, encoding all content at once, and saving the results.
- 10Verify your encoded output by pasting it into a browser's developer tools console to confirm it renders correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HTML entity encoding?
∨
HTML entity encoding converts special characters that have meaning in HTML (<, >, &, ", ') into safe entity equivalents like <, >, &. This prevents the browser from interpreting them as markup, which is essential for displaying code snippets and preventing XSS attacks.
What's the difference between named, decimal, and hex entities?
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Named entities use descriptive names like & or <. Decimal numeric entities use & (the decimal code point). Hex numeric entities use & (the hex code point). Named entities are more readable, but numeric entities work for any Unicode character. All are valid in HTML5.
What does Encode all non-ASCII do?
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When enabled, all non-ASCII characters (including emojis, Chinese, accented letters, and other Unicode) are converted to numeric entities like é. This is useful for older systems that may not handle UTF-8 correctly, or for ensuring maximum compatibility across different character encodings.
Is my data sent to a server?
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No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your data never leaves your device, is never transmitted over the network, and is never stored anywhere.
When should I use HTML entity encoding?
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Use HTML entity encoding when displaying user-generated content in web pages (XSS prevention), embedding code snippets in blog posts or documentation, or inserting special characters into HTML attributes. Modern frameworks like React auto-escape by default, but manual encoding is needed for raw innerHTML, CMS exports, and email templates.
Does HTML entity encoding prevent XSS attacks?
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Yes, encoding user input as HTML entities is a primary defense against XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks. By converting < to < and > to >, browsers won't interpret injected HTML tags or scripts. Always encode user-generated content before rendering it in HTML pages.
What characters are converted when encoding HTML entities?
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The five essential characters are: & (ampersand → &), < (less-than → <), > (greater-than → >), " (double quote → "), and ' (single quote → '). The Encode all non-ASCII option additionally converts any character outside the ASCII range to numeric entities.
Can I encode text with mixed content (HTML + plain text)?
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Yes. The tool treats all input as plain text for encoding — it escapes characters without trying to parse HTML. This means existing entities like & will be double-encoded (&amp;) when encoding. For decode mode, existing entities are properly decoded back to characters.
How do I avoid double-encoding?
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Double-encoding happens when you encode text that already contains entities (e.g., encoding & again produces &amp;). To avoid this, use Decode mode first to restore entities to their original characters, then Encode. The tool preserves existing entities during encoding.
What's the difference between & and &?
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Both represent the ampersand character. & is a named entity — more readable and descriptive. & is a decimal numeric entity using the character's Unicode code point (38 = 0x26). & is the hex equivalent. All are valid HTML5 and browsers render them identically.
When should I use the Encode all non-ASCII option?
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Use this when targeting email clients that use legacy character encodings like ISO-8859-1, or when publishing content to CMS platforms known to mishandle UTF-8. It converts emojis, Chinese, accented letters, and other Unicode to numeric entities, ensuring faithful rendering everywhere.
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