When do I need to HTML encode text?

Encode text before inserting it into HTML markup to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks and rendering errors. Any user-generated content displayed in a web page should be HTML-encoded to ensure characters are displayed as text rather than parsed as tags.

What is the difference between HTML encoding and URL encoding?

HTML encoding converts characters to HTML entities (< & etc.) for safe insertion into HTML documents. URL encoding converts characters to percent-encoded sequences (%3C %26 etc.) for safe inclusion in URLs. They serve different purposes and produce different output.

TextCounter Free online text tools

HTML Encode & Decode Online

Encode all non-ASCII characters

Plain text / HTML

Encoded output

Ready

Free Online HTML Encoder and Decoder

Paste any text and HTML special characters are encoded to entities instantly. Switch to Decode mode to convert HTML entities back to plain text. Optionally encode all non-ASCII characters as numeric entities for maximum compatibility.

What are HTML entities?

HTML entities are text representations of characters that have special meaning in HTML markup. The five critical entities are: < for <, > for >, & for &, " for ", and ' for '. Encoding these characters prevents browsers from interpreting them as HTML tags or attributes.

Why HTML encoding matters for security

Inserting user-generated content into HTML without encoding is one of the most common causes of Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. HTML encoding ensures that characters like < and > are rendered as visible text rather than parsed as HTML tags, preventing injected scripts from executing.

Frequently asked questions

What are HTML entities?

HTML entities are codes that represent special characters in HTML. For example, < represents <, & represents &, and " represents ". They ensure characters are displayed as text rather than interpreted as markup.

When should I HTML encode text?

Encode any user-supplied content before inserting it into HTML to prevent XSS attacks. Also encode when embedding code samples, special symbols, or non-ASCII characters in HTML documents.

Does this tool save my data?

No. All processing happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server.