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HTML Entity Encoder/Decoder — Both Directions, Instant

Encode special characters into HTML entities (like & or ') or decode entities back to their original characters — handling named entities, decimal (&) and hexadecimal (&) forms, all three of which appear in real-world HTML depending on what generated it.

How to use HTML Entity Encoder

1. Paste your text or HTML entity string.
2. Choose encode or decode.
3. Copy the result.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I need to encode characters like < or & in HTML?

Unescaped < and & have special meaning in HTML markup — a literal < in text content can be misread as the start of a tag, which is exactly what entity encoding prevents.

What is the difference between named, decimal and hex entities?

&amp; (named), &#38; (decimal) and &#x26; (hex) all represent the same ampersand character — different tools and generators produce different forms, which is why the decoder handles all three.

Does this help prevent XSS?

Proper output encoding is one part of preventing XSS, though real protection also depends on context-aware encoding and, ideally, a templating system that auto-escapes by default rather than manual encoding alone.

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Also searched for: html entity encoder decoder online · convert special characters to html entities · html entity decimal hex converter

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