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HTML Decoder online

Decode HTML entities back to readable text - all named and numeric entities supported.

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by
CHUNKY
MUNSTER
HTML-ENCODED INPUT0 CHARS
DECODED OUTPUT0 CHARS

About HTML Decoding

HTML entities are codes that represent characters with special meaning in HTML markup. This tool decodes both named entities (like &, <, ©) and numeric entities (like A or A) back to their original characters using the browser's own parsing engine.

Using the Online HTML Entity Decoder

  1. Paste HTML-encoded text into the input - it may contain named entities like &, <, or numeric references like ©.
  2. The decoded output appears instantly below.
  3. Toggle the "decode numeric references" option to also convert   and   forms.
  4. Copy the clean output text.

HTML Decoder is a powerful utility for developers who need to unescape HTML content and restore raw text. HTML character codes are used to represent special characters that browsers would otherwise interpret as markup. This tool handles all named entities (over 2,000 from the HTML5 spec), ensuring that your search indexing and data migration tasks remain accurate by converting these codes back to their original character equivalents.

Named and Hexadecimal HTML Entities

Web pages often mix different encoding styles, from named entity references like © to hexadecimal references like ©. This HTML entity decoder assembles these fragments correctly, providing a reliable way to clean up content for natural language processing. Whether you are dealing with standard HTML 4 entities or the expanded HTML5 set, our unescape tool provides a fast, browser-side solution for all your decoding needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between   and a regular space?

  (non-breaking space, U+00A0) looks like a space but prevents line breaks between the characters on either side. Browsers treat it as a different character. Use the "normalise spaces" option to convert them to regular spaces.

Why would web pages use ​ (zero-width space)?

Zero-width space (U+200B) is used to hint word-wrap positions in long strings without a natural break point (like a long URL). It is invisible but present in the text. The decoder shows it explicitly so you know it is there.

Does this decode JavaScript HTML entities (< in JS strings)?

Yes - the decoder is format-agnostic. If a JavaScript string or JSON value contains HTML entity strings, paste it here and decode it. The result is the character the entity represents.

Is there a difference between ' and '?

' is the apostrophe entity from XML - it was not part of the original HTML 4 spec but is valid in HTML5. ' is the numeric decimal reference. Both decode to a single quote character (U+0027).

For related formatting needs, explore our HTML Encoder, HTML Entity Encoder, and the HTML Formatter. Bookmark this page for the next time you need a fast and reliable HTML Decoder.

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