HTML entity converter

Created on 5 October, 2025 • Developer Tools • 11 views • 2 minutes read

Learn what an HTML Entity Converter is, how it works, and why it’s essential for web developers. Discover how to safely encode and decode special characters in HTML to prevent display errors and enhance website security.

HTML Entity Converter: Simplifying Web Encoding and Decoding

When working with web content, developers often need to ensure that special characters display correctly in browsers. An HTML Entity Converter is a powerful tool designed to help encode and decode special characters into their proper HTML entity forms. This process not only ensures compatibility but also prevents code errors and security issues like cross-site scripting (XSS).

What Is an HTML Entity Converter?

An HTML Entity Converter is an online or software-based tool that transforms special characters — such as <, >, &, or quotes (") — into HTML-safe representations. For instance, the symbol < becomes < and > becomes >.

HTML entities are codes that represent reserved or invisible characters in web pages. They start with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;). These entities ensure that browsers render text safely without confusing characters for HTML tags.

For example:

< represents <

> represents >

& represents &

" represents "

  represents a non-breaking space

Why Use an HTML Entity Converter?
1. Prevent Display Errors

Browsers interpret certain characters like < and > as HTML tags. If you include these characters directly in your text, they may disappear or break your page layout. By converting them into entities, you ensure that they display properly as plain text.

2. Improve Website Security

Encoding text using an HTML Entity Converter helps prevent security issues such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). This occurs when malicious users inject HTML or JavaScript code into a web page. Encoding special characters ensures the browser interprets them as text, not executable code.

3. Maintain Consistent Formatting

When transferring data between different platforms, some characters can become corrupted or lost. Converting them into entities ensures that text appears the same across browsers, devices, and databases.

4. Simplify Copy-Paste from Editors

Sometimes, when copying content from tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, hidden characters can cause HTML errors. An HTML Entity Converter cleans up such content by encoding all special characters correctly.

How an HTML Entity Converter Works

An HTML Entity Converter typically provides two main functions:

Encode: Converts special characters into HTML entities. Example: & → &

Decode: Converts HTML entities back to readable text. Example: <div> →