HTML Decoder
Convert HTML entities back into normal characters.
HTML Decoder
Developer tool running locally in browser
What does HTML Decoder do?
Turn &, <, ’ and other entities back into the characters they represent. Handles named entities, decimal and hexadecimal numeric references, and repeats the pass for double-encoded text.
How to Use HTML Decoder
- 1Paste the encoded textFrom a database, feed or API response.
- 2Read the decoded outputEntities become real characters.
- 3Copy itOr strip the remaining tags for plain text.
Key Features
- Named entities such as & and ©
- Numeric references in decimal and hexadecimal
- Repeat mode for double-encoded text
- Optional tag stripping to leave plain text only
- Reports how many entities were decoded
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my text full of &amp;?
It was encoded twice. The ampersand in & got escaped again on a second pass. Turn on repeat mode to unwind both layers.
What is ?
A non-breaking space, U+00A0. It looks like a space but prevents a line break there. It is invisible in text but does not match a normal space in a search, so decoding it is often the fix for a mysterious bug.
Is decoding HTML entities safe?
Decoding for display in a plain text box is safe. Decoding and then inserting into a page as HTML re-enables any markup that was escaped, which is exactly the XSS risk the escaping prevented.
Can it decode entities inside markup?
Yes. Entities are decoded wherever they appear and tags are left intact, unless you switch on tag stripping.
Input is processed in your browser and never transmitted. That said, treat any web page as untrusted for live production secrets — rotate anything you paste anywhere.
Related Tools
HTML Encoder
Escape HTML special characters to display code safely.
URL Decoder
Decode percent-encoded URLs back into readable text.
Text Cleaner
Strip formatting, HTML, smart quotes and invisible characters.
HTML Formatter
Beautify or minify HTML with correct indentation.