How to use the HTML Decode
- Paste the encoded text — it is decoded as you type.
- Named (é), decimal (é) and hex (é) entities are all converted.
- Copy the result, or switch to Encode to escape text for HTML.
What HTML entities are
HTML entities write characters that would otherwise be read as markup, or that are hard to type: < is “<”, & is “&”, is a non-breaking space and — is an em dash. Decoding turns them back into the characters themselves.
Where encoded text comes from
You often see entities in RSS feeds, CMS exports, emails, scraped pages and API responses that escaped text twice. If the result still contains & after decoding, the text was encoded twice — decode it again.
Decoding is safe here
The decoded result is shown as plain text, never rendered as HTML, so decoding <script> can’t run anything. When you put decoded text back into a web page, encode it again or insert it as text, not HTML.
Tools that pair well with the HTML Decode
- URL Decode — Paste a URL or query string full of %20 and %3D to make it readable again — with each query parameter decoded and listed separately.
- Base64 Decode — Paste a Base64 string to decode it back to text as you type — including URL-safe Base64 from JWTs and links, and strings with the “=” padding missing.
- HTML Formatter — Paste minified or messy markup and get clean, consistently indented HTML — including embedded <style> and <script> blocks.
- Unicode Character Inspector — Paste anything to see what it’s really made of: each character’s name, code point, UTF-8 bytes and HTML code.
Frequently asked questions
What does &amp; mean?
It is the HTML entity for the ampersand “&”. If you see &amp;, the text has been encoded twice.
What is &nbsp;?
A non-breaking space — a space that doesn’t allow a line break. It decodes to the character U+00A0, which looks like a normal space.
Does it support all HTML entities?
Yes — all named entities from the HTML standard plus decimal and hexadecimal numeric entities.
Can I install HTML Decode as a web app and use it offline?
Yes. HTML Decode is an installable web app (PWA) — installed from your browser, not downloaded from an app store. Click Install app at the top of this page in Chrome or Edge (Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS) or on Android, use Share → Add to Home Screen on iPhone and iPad, or File → Add to Dock in Safari 17+ on a Mac. It then opens in its own window with its own icon, and because it runs entirely in your browser it keeps working offline. Firefox on desktop can’t install web apps. How installing works.