Encode HTML Entities - HTML Entity Encoder

Encode text into HTML entities instantly with our free HTML Entities Encoder. This tool converts reserved and special characters — angle brackets, ampersands, quotes, symbols — into their corresponding HTML entity codes so the text is safe to display inside an HTML document. Perfect for developers, content creators, and anyone publishing code snippets or user input on the web. Paste your text and get the encoded version in seconds.

Encoding is essential when you want to show HTML or code on a page rather than have it render — writing <div> requires encoding the angle brackets so the browser displays them instead of treating them as a tag. To reverse the process, use the HTML Entities Decoder.

Live Example

Reserved characters like <, >, &, and " become entity codes so they display as text instead of being parsed as markup:

Input (raw text)

<a href="x">Tom & Jerry © 2026</a>

Output (encoded)

&lt;a href=&quot;x&quot;&gt;Tom &amp; Jerry &copy; 2026&lt;/a&gt;

How to Use HTML Entities Encoder

Paste Your Text: Enter or paste the text you want to encode into the input area.
Choose an Encoding Type: Switch between encoding by entity name or by entity number.
Encode Automatically: The tool instantly converts special characters into safe HTML entity codes.
Copy or Download: Copy the encoded output to your clipboard or download it as a file.

Key Features

✅ Encode HTML entities by entity number (e.g., <)
✅ Encode HTML entities by entity name (e.g., <)
✅ Convert special characters to safe HTML entities
✅ Switch between name and number encoding
✅ Copy encoded output to clipboard
✅ Download encoded output as a text file

Common Use Cases

Displaying Code: Safely show HTML or code samples inside web pages without them rendering as live markup.
XSS Prevention: Encode user input so special characters cannot be interpreted as executable HTML.
Content Publishing: Prepare text with symbols for blogs, docs, and CMS editors.
Email Templates: Encode reserved characters to keep HTML email markup valid.

Benefits of Using Our Tool

✅ Free to use with no registration required
✅ Instant, real-time encoding
✅ Choose entity names or numbers
✅ Keeps your content safe and correctly rendered
✅ Private - all processing happens in your browser

About HTML Entities

An HTML entity is an escape sequence that represents a character which is either reserved in HTML or hard to type. Reserved characters — <, >, &, ", and ' — have special meaning to the parser (they start tags or attributes), so to display them literally you must encode them. There are three forms: a named entity (<, ©), a decimal numeric entity (<, ©), and a hexadecimal numeric entity (<, ©). All three render identically.

Encoding is the foundation of safely displaying code samples and of basic XSS prevention. When you echo untrusted input into a page, encoding < and & stops an attacker from injecting a <script> tag that the browser would execute. Note that HTML entity encoding is a different job from URL encoding, which uses %-sequences for characters in a URL, and from Base64, which encodes arbitrary bytes — each scheme solves a different escaping problem.

The encoder lets you switch between named and numeric output, since some contexts (older email clients, certain CMSes) handle one form more reliably than the other. Numeric entities work for any Unicode code point, while named entities cover the common symbols. After tidying encoded markup you can compress it with the HTML Minifier or reformat it with the HTML Beautifier.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

Double-encoding (visible &): Encoding already-encoded text turns & into &amp;. Encode raw text once.
Ampersands in URLs mangled: HTML-encoding and URL-encoding are different. Use URL encoding (%26) inside href attributes, not entity encoding.
Characters render as codes on screen: The output was placed inside another encoded context, or displayed in a plain-text element. Paste it into real HTML to see it render.
Named entity not recognised: Some obscure names lack broad support. Switch to numeric entities for maximum compatibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

1Why encode HTML entities?

Encoding HTML entities prevents XSS attacks and ensures special characters display correctly in web browsers.

2What encoding options are available?

You can encode using entity names (like <) or entity numbers (like <).

3Which characters get encoded?

Special characters including <, >, &, ", ', and other reserved HTML characters are converted to their entity codes.

4What is the difference between entity names and numbers?

Entity names use readable words like <, while entity numbers use numeric codes like <. Both render the same character in browsers.

5Is my text sent to a server?

No. Encoding happens entirely in your browser, so your text never leaves your device and stays private.

6Can I download the encoded output?

Yes. You can copy the encoded text to your clipboard or download it as a file for use in your projects.