How to use HTML Encoder/Decoder
- Paste the characters or HTML entities you want to transform.
- Choose Encode to turn special characters into entities, or Decode to recover their text.
- Read the live result, then copy it or download it as a text file.
A closer look
HTML uses characters such as < and & as syntax. Encoding makes those characters available as visible text: < becomes <, > becomes >, and & becomes &. Quotes are encoded too, while ordinary Unicode characters are preserved. Decoding recognizes named HTML entities as well as decimal and hexadecimal character references. For example, 👋 decodes to a waving-hand character. The result always stays in a text box; pasted tags are not inserted into the Toolzafi page or executed.
A practical example
Encode <p>Hello</p> to display the tags as text in HTML, or decode & back to an ampersand. The result is shown as text, not run as a page.
A useful tip
Encoding is context-specific. This tool is for HTML character references, not URL encoding, JavaScript string escaping, or sanitizing a complete web application. Choose the existing URL Encoder/Decoder for URL components.
Good questions. Simple answers.
Does decoding render the HTML?
No. A decoded <script> tag remains plain text in the output field.
Why does encoding < produce &lt;?
The ampersand is part of the input text and is encoded once. If your text is already entity-encoded, use Decode first rather than repeatedly encoding it.
Explore all developer tools for related tasks and category-specific guidance, or read how Toolzafi handles your data.