Free tools
HTML Encode
Free online HTML encoder — escape special characters like <, >, &, and quotes into safe HTML entities.
HTML encoded result
HTML Encode Online
Paste any text into the field above and click HTML Encode to escape special characters into safe HTML entities. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.
What Is HTML Encoding?
HTML encoding replaces characters that have special meaning in HTML with their entity equivalents so they display literally instead of being interpreted as markup. For example, < becomes < and & becomes &.
Characters That Get Encoded
&→&<→<>→>"→"'→'
Common Uses
- Safely embedding user-generated content in HTML to prevent XSS attacks
- Displaying code snippets or HTML source inside a web page
- Preparing text for insertion into HTML attributes
How to Use This Tool
- Paste your text into the input field.
- Click HTML Encode.
- Copy the result with the copy button.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HTML encoding?
HTML encoding (or HTML escaping) converts special characters into HTML entities that browsers display as characters rather than interpreting them as markup. For example,
< becomes < and displays as < rather than starting a tag.Which characters get encoded?
Essential characters to encode:
< (less than) becomes <, > (greater than) becomes >, & (ampersand) becomes &, " (double quote) becomes ", and ' (single quote) becomes ' or '.When should I use HTML encoding?
Use HTML encoding when: displaying user-generated content to prevent XSS attacks, showing code examples in HTML documentation, embedding text that contains HTML-like characters, preparing content for RSS feeds, or ensuring special characters display correctly in HTML emails.
What's the difference between encoding and sanitization?
Encoding transforms characters to display safely without executing. Sanitization removes or filters potentially dangerous content. For user input displayed on pages, encoding is usually sufficient and preferred because it preserves the original content exactly as typed.
Can I encode non-ASCII characters?
Yes. Non-ASCII characters (like accented letters, emoji, or non-Latin scripts) can be encoded as numeric entities. For example,
é becomes é or é. This ensures compatibility with older systems that may not support UTF-8.Is this tool secure?
Yes. All encoding happens entirely in your browser. Your text is never sent to any server. For user input you're preparing to display, this local processing helps ensure your data stays private before deployment.