HTML Entity Decoder

Convert HTML character entities like & and < back to plain text. This decodes entities in one pass — < becomes <, not <. HTML tags in the input are stripped and a notice is shown above output.

  • Runs entirely in your browser
  • No data stored or sent to a server
  • Free forever — no signup
  • Instant conversion

Input and Output

Use the interactive encoder and decoder on this page to process your text.

Learn more about HTML decoding

How to Decode HTML Entities Back to Plain Text

HTML Decoding

When to HTML-Decode

Decode HTML entities when processing scraped content, normalizing CMS exports, reading encoded API responses, or converting stored entity strings back to readable text.

Real-World Examples

&lt;div&gt; → <div>

&copy; 2026 Acme → © 2026 Acme

&#39;quoted&#39; → 'quoted'

Common Mistakes

  • Decoding untrusted input then injecting it as raw HTML
  • Assuming all named entities are supported in every environment
  • Decoding twice and producing unintended characters

Edge Cases

  • Numeric entities (&#...; and &#x...;) may represent any Unicode code point
  • Malformed entities may pass through unchanged depending on the decoder

Security Considerations

Decoding user content and writing it into HTML without re-escaping recreates XSS risk. Treat decoded output as untrusted until sanitized for its destination context.

Developer Tips

  • Use DOMParser or trusted libraries instead of regex for complex entity decoding
  • Log before/after when migrating legacy content with mixed encoding

Frequently asked questions

Will decoding turn entities into active HTML?

Decoding produces characters like < and >. If you insert that output into a page as HTML, tags can become active — only insert as text or sanitize first.

What is the difference between named and numeric entities?

Named entities use labels like &amp;copy;. Numeric entities use code points like &amp;#169; or &amp;#xA9;. Both decode to the same character.

Can I decode partial strings?

Yes. Decoders typically leave unrecognized sequences untouched and decode valid entities in place.