# HTML entity encoder and decoder Escape text for HTML with named, decimal or hex entities, or turn entities such as & and é back into characters. https://codeknife.dev/en/html-entities/ ## What it does Escapes text for HTML, and turns HTML entities back into characters. An entity writes a character by name (`é`), as a decimal number (`é`) or as a hex number (`é`). ## How to use it 1. Type or paste text, or drop a text file. 2. Pick **Encode** or **Decode**. When encoding, choose whether to escape only the characters HTML reads as markup or every non-ASCII character too, and whether to write names, decimal numbers or hex numbers. 3. Copy or download the result. ## Examples Escaping markup: `

Tom & Jerry

` becomes `<p class="x">Tom & Jerry</p>`. With every non-ASCII character escaped, `café © €` becomes `café © €`. ## Good to know - The characters that always need escaping in HTML text and attributes are `&`, `<`, `>`, `"` and `'`. - The apostrophe is written `'`, because HTML 4 has no name for it. Decoding also reads `'`. - Characters with no name, such as emoji, are written as numbers, one number per character. - The table of names covers the 252 entities of HTML 4.01. A name outside it is left as typed when decoding. ## What is an HTML entity? An entity is a way to write a character in HTML without typing it: a name such as é, or a number such as é (decimal) or é (hex). Five characters must be escaped in text and attributes because HTML reads them as markup: & < > and the two quote marks. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which characters must I escape? Escape & and < in text, and the quote mark that surrounds an attribute value inside it. Escaping > and both quote marks everywhere is harmless and the safe default, which is what Markup only does. Escaping user input this way is the first defence against injected markup. ### Why does the apostrophe become ' and not a name? HTML 4 has no named entity for the apostrophe. ' exists in XML and HTML5 but older software does not know it, so a number is the safe choice. Decoding accepts both. ### Does this tool send my text anywhere? No. Everything happens in your browser. What you type is never sent to our servers.