Ever copied a code snippet and seen <div> instead of a real tag? That text is HTML entities, and your browser shows the codes, not the symbols. The HTML Unescape Tool turns those entities back into the raw characters they stand for.
It is made for developers, writers, and support staff. They often paste encoded HTML from logs, databases, or a CMS. You drop the escaped text in the left box, and the decoded version appears on the right as you type.
Table of Contents
- What the Tool Does
- Which Entities It Decodes
- How to Use It, Step by Step
- How the Decode Works
- Worked Example
- How to Read the Results
- Escaping Versus Unescaping
- Limitations and Assumptions
- FAQs About the HTML Unescape Tool
What the Tool Does
The tool reads your input and decodes every HTML entity it finds. It swaps each one for the plain character and shows a running count. Everything happens in your browser, so your text is never uploaded.
- Escaped HTML Input: the box where you paste encoded text.
- Unescaped HTML Output: a read-only box with the decoded result.
- Input Length: how many characters you pasted, shown as a chars count.
- Unescaped Length: the character count after decoding, also in chars.
- Entities Decoded: how many entities were replaced.
- Clear empties the input, and Copy HTML copies the output.
Which Entities It Decodes
This tool decodes the full HTML entity set. That covers named codes, decimal number codes, and hex number codes. A real browser parser does the work, so the results match what a web page would show.
| Entity Type | Example | Becomes |
|---|
| Named | < > & " | < > & " |
| Named symbol | © é | © é |
| Decimal | A | A |
| Hex | < | < |
| Non-breaking space | | a real non-breaking space |
So codes like € turn into the euro sign, and ❤ turns into a heart. The tool handles plain tags and symbols in the same pass.
How to Use It, Step by Step
- Paste your encoded text into the Escaped HTML Input box.
- Watch the Unescaped HTML Output box fill in as you type.
- Check the Entities Decoded count to confirm the tool found entities.
- Press Copy HTML to place the output on your clipboard.
- Press Clear to empty the input and start over.
How the Decode Works
The tool does not run its own word list. It hands your text to the browser's own HTML parser and reads back the plain result. That is why named, decimal, and hex codes all decode the same way they would on a page.
Escaped Text→Browser HTML Parser→Raw Characters
The decode runs one level only. Text like &lt; decodes to <, not a tag. This keeps a double-escaped string from collapsing too far.
Worked Example
Suppose Priya pastes a stored comment that reads this encoded line:
<p title="note">Tom & Jerry</p>
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Input Length | 57 chars |
| Output | <p title="note">Tom & Jerry</p> |
| Unescaped Length | 31 chars |
| Entities Decoded | 7 |
The seven matches are two less-than signs, two greater-than signs, two quotes, and one ampersand. The output is shorter because each entity is several letters but one character.
How to Read the Results
Entities Decoded is the fastest check. If it reads 0, your input had no decodable entities. The input and output will then look the same.
Unescaped Length is almost always smaller than the input length. That drop confirms that multi-letter codes became single characters.
The output box is read-only, so you cannot edit it there. Use the copy button, then paste the result into your editor or file.
Escaping Versus Unescaping
Unescaping is the reverse of escaping. Escaping turns a raw < into < so a browser shows the symbol instead of starting a tag. To go that way, use the HTML escape tool.
Some pages mix in other code types too. The HTML entity decoder is a close sibling for the same job. For XML files, the XML unescape tool handles entities in that format.
Web addresses use a different scheme called percent-encoding. To turn %20 back into a space, reach for the URL decoder instead. For escaped quotes and newlines in strings, the text unescape tool is a better fit. You can browse the full set in the developer tools hub.
Limitations and Assumptions
- The decode runs one level. A double-escaped code like &lt; becomes <, not a tag.
- Entity casing follows real HTML rules. Legacy forms like < decode, but non-standard ones like &Quot; stay as typed.
- The tool does not validate your HTML. It only turns entities into characters.
- Very large pastes above 200,000 characters still decode in full, but the entity count shows N/A to stay fast.
- The copy button tries your clipboard first, then falls back to a manual copy if the page blocks it.
FAQs About the HTML Unescape Tool
What Is HTML Unescaping?
Unescaping converts HTML entities, such as < and &, back into the real characters they represent. It is the opposite of escaping, which hides those characters as codes.
Why Does My Count Show Zero Decoded Entities?
A count of zero means the input had no entities the parser could decode. It can also happen when the text was already decoded before you pasted it.
Can It Decode Numeric Codes Like A?
Yes. Decimal codes like A become A, and hex codes like < become the less-than sign. Named symbol codes such as © decode as well.
Is My Text Sent To A Server?
No. The decode runs fully in your browser with JavaScript. Nothing you paste is uploaded or stored by the tool.
What Does Decode Into?
It becomes a true non-breaking space, the same U+00A0 character a web page uses. That is not a plain space, though the two can look alike on screen.
Can I Decode Many Lines At Once?
Yes. Paste as many lines as you want, and every entity across all of them is decoded together.
This calculator gives general estimates only and is not professional advice. Reviewed for general accuracy by Prof. Dr. Khalil Mudassar, PhD.