BYTETOOLS

HTML Entity Encoder

Encode text to HTML entities online: named entities for &, <, >, quotes plus numeric entities for the rest. Choose named or numeric — free and 100% private.

Encoded HTML

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

What is the HTML Entity Encoder?

The ByteTools HTML Entity Encoder converts text into HTML entities so it displays correctly and safely inside a web page.

  • Named entities for &, <, >, " and ' plus common symbols
  • Numeric &#nnn; entities for everything else
  • Toggle between named and numeric output styles
  • Optional encoding of all non-ASCII characters
  • One-click copy of the encoded result
  • 100% client-side — text never leaves your browser

How to use the HTML Entity Encoder

  1. 1

    Paste or type your text into the input box.

  2. 2

    Choose named entities (with numeric fallback) or numeric-only output.

  3. 3

    Tick 'Encode all non-ASCII characters' if you need maximum portability.

  4. 4

    Copy the encoded HTML from the result box.

  5. 5

    Paste it directly into your page, template or attribute.

About the HTML Entity Encoder

The ByteTools HTML Entity Encoder converts text into HTML entities so it displays correctly and safely inside a web page. Reserved characters like &, <, >, single and double quotes are turned into named entities such as &amp; and &lt;, while other characters can be encoded as numeric references.

You choose the style: named entities where a friendly name exists (falling back to numeric for the rest), or purely numeric &#nnn; entities everywhere. An option to encode all non-ASCII characters is perfect for embedding accented letters, symbols and emoji into pages or email templates that expect plain ASCII.

Encoding happens entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded. It is a quick, private way to prepare snippets for HTML, prevent markup from breaking, and reduce a common class of injection mistakes.

Frequently asked questions

What are HTML entities and why use them?

HTML entities are codes like &amp; or &#169; that represent characters which are reserved in HTML or hard to type. Encoding them ensures the browser displays the literal character instead of interpreting it as markup, which keeps your page from breaking.

Which characters must always be encoded?

At minimum the ampersand (&), less-than (<) and greater-than (>) signs, plus double and single quotes when the text sits inside an attribute. Encoding these prevents your content from being mistaken for tags or attribute boundaries.

What is the difference between named and numeric entities?

Named entities use readable words like &copy; for ©, while numeric entities use the character's code point, such as &#169;. Named entities are easier to read but only exist for a subset of characters; numeric entities work for every character.

Should I encode non-ASCII characters like é or emoji?

It is optional. Modern UTF-8 pages display them fine as-is, but encoding non-ASCII characters as entities guarantees they survive systems that only handle plain ASCII, such as some email templates or legacy tools.

Does encoding HTML entities prevent XSS?

Encoding output that will be rendered as HTML is an important defence, but it is not a complete solution on its own. Always encode at the correct context (HTML, attribute, URL or script) and combine it with other server-side protections.

Is my text sent to a server?

No. The encoding runs entirely in your browser, so your content stays on your device and the tool works even without a connection.

Guides for HTML Entity Encoder

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