HTML Encoder - Escape Special Characters Online

Encode HTML entities to escape special characters. Convert < > & " to safe HTML entities. Prevent XSS attacks. Free, private, instant.

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HTML Entity Reference

Character	Entity	Description
<	`<`	Less than
>	`>`	Greater than
&	`&`	Ampersand
"	`"`	Double quote
'	`'`	Single quote (apostrophe)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Special characters like < > & " ' must be encoded when displaying user input in HTML. These characters have special meaning in HTML and must be escaped to prevent XSS attacks, broken rendering, and attribute injection.

They're the same thing. HTML encoding/escaping converts special characters to HTML entities like < for < and & for &. The terms are used interchangeably in web development.

It prevents Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks by ensuring user input is displayed as text, not executed as HTML or JavaScript. Without encoding, attackers can inject malicious scripts into your pages.

Encoding converts characters to entities for safe display - anyone can decode it. Encryption protects data confidentiality using cryptographic keys. HTML encoding provides no security, only safe rendering.

Only encode user-supplied content or data from untrusted sources (database values, API responses, form input). Your own static HTML, trusted templates, and server-generated markup don't need encoding.

HTML entity encoding works for HTML body content. For JavaScript strings, URLs, or CSS, you need different encoding methods specific to those contexts. Never rely on HTML encoding alone in JavaScript.

No! HTML encoding only prevents XSS in HTML contexts. For SQL injection, use parameterized queries or prepared statements. Each security context requires its own protection method.

No. Modern UTF-8 HTML handles Unicode and emojis natively. Only encode HTML-special characters (< > & " '). Encoding Unicode unnecessarily makes content harder to read and larger.

Minimal. HTML encoding is a simple string replacement operation. However, encode only once and only what's necessary - avoid double-encoding which creates display issues like &.

Yes. All encoding happens in your browser using JavaScript string operations. No data is sent to any server - your content remains completely private and secure.

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