--- title: "HTML Entity Encoder Decoder - Free Online | CanDoYa" description: "Free online HTML entity encoder decoder. Escape HTML special characters, decode named and numeric entities, and copy the result." url: https://candoya.com/tools/html-entity-encode-decode/ locale: en type: browser-tool --- # HTML Entity Encoder Decoder Category: Developer ## What is an HTML entity encoder decoder? An HTML entity encoder decoder converts characters between readable text and HTML character references such as <, ©, © and 🌍. Use it to escape markup-sensitive characters before pasting text into HTML, or decode entities from source code back into normal text. Conversion runs live in your browser and your text is not uploaded. Use **Special chars** when you only need safe HTML text, **Named entities** for readable references like `©`, or numeric modes when you need decimal or hex code points. ## How to use it 1. **Pick Encode or Decode** - Choose Encode to turn text into HTML entities, or Decode to turn entity references back into readable characters. 2. **Choose an encode mode** - Use Special chars for safe HTML text, Named entities for readable names, or Decimal and Hex for numeric code-point references. 3. **Paste your text** - The result updates live in the output panel. Decode mode handles named, decimal and hexadecimal references together. 4. **Copy the result** - Copy the encoded or decoded text and paste it into your HTML, template, email or documentation. ## Who it's for - **Web developers** escaping snippets that contain angle brackets, ampersands, quotes or apostrophes before showing them as text. - **Content editors** decoding CMS or email template copy where symbols appear as `&`, ` ` or `©`. - **QA and support teams** checking whether a broken page contains raw markup or already-escaped entity references. - **Documentation writers** preparing examples that show HTML tags without the browser treating them as real markup. ## Expert note For modern UTF-8 pages you usually do not need to encode every accented letter or emoji. The important safety rule is escaping markup delimiters like `&`, `` and quotes when text enters HTML or an attribute. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is this HTML entity encoder decoder free? Yes. The HTML entity encoder decoder is free to use, with no sign-up, no download and no usage limit. Paste text, choose a mode and copy the result from your browser. ### Is my text uploaded anywhere? No. Encoding and decoding happen locally in your browser. The text you paste into the widget is not sent to a server, which is useful for private templates, source snippets and support tickets. ### What characters should I encode for safe HTML? At minimum, escape ampersand, less-than, greater-than and quotes when text is inserted into HTML or an attribute. Those characters can start markup, entities or attribute boundaries. Encoding every non-ASCII character is optional on modern UTF-8 pages. ### What is the difference between named, decimal and hex entities? Named entities use readable labels such as `©`. Decimal numeric references use base-10 code points such as `©`. Hex references use base-16 code points such as `©`. Browsers decode all three forms. ### Does the decoder support emoji and non-English text? Yes. Numeric references can represent any valid Unicode code point, including emoji and non-Latin scripts. For example, `🌍` decodes to the globe emoji, and named entities such as `é` decode to accented letters. ### Will decoded HTML run as real markup? No. The decoded result is shown inside a plain textarea, so tags remain text in the tool. If you copy the decoded output into an HTML document, the browser will then treat real tags as markup. ### Why did a double-escaped ampersand decode only once? `&` is the entity for a literal ampersand. Decoding it once gives `&`. If a string was encoded multiple times, you may need to decode more than once, but do that only when you know the source is double-escaped. ## Related tools - [URL Encode and Decode](https://candoya.com/tools/url-encode-decode/) - [XML Formatter](https://candoya.com/tools/xml-formatter/) - [Base64 Encode and Decode](https://candoya.com/tools/base64-encode-decode/) - [JSON Formatter](https://candoya.com/tools/json-formatter/) - [Clipboard Inspector](https://candoya.com/tools/clipboard-inspector/) --- *Markdown edition of , published for AI agents and other automated readers. Index of key pages: .*