What is the difference between HTML encoding and URL encoding?

HTML encoding (e.g., <) is for safely displaying special characters *within an HTML document*. URL encoding (e.g., %3C) is for safely passing special characters *within a URL*. They solve different problems and are not interchangeable. For example, & is & in HTML but %26 in a URL.

How does HTML encoding prevent XSS?

XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) works by tricking a browser into executing a malicious tag. HTML encoding turns the characters into < and >. When the browser sees these entities, it renders them as literal text characters *instead of* interpreting them as the start or end of an HTML tag. This 'defangs' the malicious script, making it harmless.

What is an HTML Entity?

An HTML entity is a piece of text (a 'string') that begins with an ampersand (&) and ends with a semicolon (;). It's a 'token' that the browser replaces with a specific character. Examples include < (for ), & (for &), © (for ©), and (for a non-breaking space).

What is HTML Escaping vs. Unescaping?

Escaping (or Encoding) is the process of converting plain text *into* HTML entities (e.g., 'Hello > World' becomes 'Hello > World'). Unescaping (or Decoding) is the reverse process, converting HTML entities *back into* plain text (e.g., 'Hello > World' becomes 'Hello > World').

HTML Encoder / Decoder Tool

Encode (escape) or decode (unescape) text for HTML. Prevents XSS.

Input Text

Mode

Output

Your Security Matters: Client-Side Processing

All operations happen in your browser.
Your data, images, files, keys, or passwords are never stored or sent to our servers.
We don't track or monitor your generated content.

What is HTML Encoding (HTML Escaping)?

HTML encoding, also known as **HTML escaping**, is the process of converting special characters into their corresponding **HTML Entities**. This is essential because HTML uses characters like <, >, &, and " to define its structure (tags and attributes).

The Problem: If you want to *display* these characters as plain text (e.g., to show a code snippet like <p>Hello</p>), you cannot just type them directly. The browser will try to *interpret* them as HTML code, breaking your page layout or, even worse, creating a security vulnerability.

The Solution: You must "escape" them. The browser renders entities as the character they represent, not as code.

< becomes <
> becomes >
& becomes &
" becomes "
' becomes ' (or ')

Key Use Cases for this Converter:

Preventing XSS Attacks: This is the most critical use case. If you display user-provided text (like a comment) on your page, an attacker could input <script>...</script>. By **HTML escaping** this input, the browser will *display* the text <script>...</script> instead of *executing* the malicious script.
Displaying Code Snippets: To show HTML, XML, or any source code on your web page so users can read it.
Handling Special Characters: For displaying characters not on your keyboard, such as the copyright symbol (© for ©) or a non-breaking space ( ).

Our **HTML converter** tool allows you to easily encode (escape) any text to HTML entities or decode (unescape) them back into readable text.

HTML Encode/Decode Examples

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HTML Encoding Best Practices & Key Concepts

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Encode on Output, Not on Input

A common mistake is encoding data *before* storing it in a database. The best practice is to store raw, clean data and **only encode it at the moment you render it** into an HTML page. This keeps your data portable (e.g., for JSON APIs) and ensures you apply the correct encoding for the correct context.

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Context is Key

Not all encoding is the same. Escaping for the inside of an HTML tag (like ...) is different from escaping for an HTML attribute (like <input value="...">), where you must also escape quotes. For JavaScript (in an <script> block), you need JS string escaping. This tool focuses on standard HTML body escaping.

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Use <pre> and <code> for Code

When displaying code, simple encoding isn't enough to preserve formatting (like whitespace and line breaks). For best results, wrap your *encoded* code snippet in a <pre> tag (to preserve whitespace) and a <code> tag (for semantic meaning): <pre><code>...your encoded content...</code></pre>.