Bytelify

HTML Entities to Text Converter

Decode HTML entities back to plain text, live as you type, in either direction.

Runs in your browser, nothing sent
html-entities-to-text-converter

Type in either field — the other updates live, both directions. Uses your browser's own HTML parser, so every named and numeric entity is handled correctly, not just the common ones a hand-rolled mapping would cover. Runs entirely in your browser.

Need the opposite? Convert Text to HTML Entities

What is HTML Entities to Text Converter?

Paste text containing HTML entities (like & or <) and see them decoded back to their literal characters instantly, using your browser's own HTML parser for complete, correct entity handling. Because it delegates to the browser's actual HTML parser rather than a hand-rolled lookup table, it correctly handles the full range of named and numeric entities, not just the handful most tools bother to support. Everything happens client-side, so nothing you paste is sent to a server.

How to Use the HTML Entities to Text Converter

  1. 1

    Paste the Entity-Encoded Text: Enter text containing HTML entities, such as & or <.

  2. 2

    Read the Decoded Result Instantly: The plain text appears automatically as you type.

  3. 3

    Copy the Result: Use the copy button to copy the decoded text.

Why HTML Entities Exist

Characters like < and & have special meaning in HTML: they mark the start of a tag or an entity reference. If a literal < or & needs to appear as visible text on a page rather than being parsed as markup, it has to be written as an entity instead (&lt; and &amp;), and the browser's parser turns it back into the literal character when rendering the page. Text pulled from a database, an RSS feed, or a CMS export sometimes arrives with entities still in it. This tool reverses that, turning &amp;, &lt;, &quot;, and the rest back into plain readable text.

Common HTML Entities

&amp; → & &lt; → < &gt; → > &quot; → " &#39; → ' &nbsp; → (non-breaking space)

Example

HTML
Input: "Tom &amp; Jerry&#39;s &lt;show&gt;"

Decoded: Tom & Jerry's <show>

Each entity resolves to its literal character: &amp; becomes &, &#39; becomes ', and &lt;/&gt; become the angle brackets.
FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HTML Entities to Text Converter.

Yes, both named entities (&amp;) and numeric entities (&#38;) decode correctly.

Yes, edit either field and the other updates live.

They use the same underlying decoding; this page is framed around converting entity-encoded content to plain readable text (e.g. from an RSS feed or export), while HTML Unescape frames the same operation as the reverse of HTML Escape.

Yes, Bytelify's HTML Entities to Text Converter is free with no account or sign-up required.

No. The decoding runs entirely client-side in your browser, so nothing you paste is sent anywhere.