HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder
Convert special characters to HTML entities (escape) or decode them back to text. Essential for displaying code safely.
When writing code for the web, certain characters have special meanings. For example, the < symbol tells the browser “this is the start of a tag.” If you want to display that symbol on your website without the browser interpreting it as code, you need the ToolOnWeb HTML Encoder.
How to Escape HTML Characters
- Paste Text: Enter your raw code or text into the top box.
- Choose Action:
- Encode: Converts special characters (like
<and>) into their HTML entity equivalents (like<and>). - Decode: Reverts encoded entities back to readable text.
- Encode: Converts special characters (like
- Copy: Click the “Copy” button to grab the safe string.
Why Do You Need Encoding?
Displaying Code Snippets
If you run a technical blog or a tutorial site, you cannot simply paste HTML code into your post. The browser will try to run it! By encoding the code first, you turn it into harmless text that looks like code but doesn’t execute.
Prevent XSS Attacks (Security)
HTML encoding is a critical line of defence against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). By ensuring that user input is encoded before it is displayed on a page, developers prevent malicious scripts from running in a user’s browser.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What characters does this tool encode?
< becomes <> becomes >& becomes &" becomes "' becomes '
What is the difference between Encode and Decode?
Encoding turns symbols into text codes (Entities) for safety. Decoding turns those text codes back into the original symbols so humans can read them.
Does this format the code?
No, this tool specifically handles escaping characters for safety. If you need to make your code look pretty (indentation and colors), check out our JSON Formatter.