Input (Escaped HTML)

Output (Unescaped)

What Is HTML Unescaping?

HTML unescaping is the reverse of HTML escaping — it converts entity references like <, >, and & back into their original characters (<, >, &). When HTML is escaped for safe display in a browser, special characters are replaced with entity references so the browser doesn't interpret them as markup. Unescaping reverses that process.

HTML entities are defined in the WHATWG HTML Living Standard. There are three types: named entities like ©, decimal numeric references like ©, and hexadecimal references like ©. This tool handles all three formats, converting them back to the characters they represent.

Everything runs in your browser. Your data never leaves your machine. It's fast, free, and completely private.

How to Unescape HTML

Follow these three steps to decode HTML entities back to their original characters.

Paste or Upload Escaped HTML

Paste your escaped HTML into the left editor, or click Upload to load a file. You can also click Sample to see a demo with various entity types.

&lt;div class=&quot;container&quot;&gt;
  &lt;h1&gt;Hello &amp; Welcome&lt;/h1&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;Price: &amp;pound;19.99&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

The tool accepts .txt, .html, and .htm files.

See the Decoded Output

The right panel instantly shows the unescaped result. Named entities (<, ©), decimal references (©), and hex references (©) are all converted back to their original characters.

Copy, Download, or Re-Escape

Click Copy to copy the output to your clipboard, Download to save it as an .html file, or Escape to reverse the operation and re-encode the output back into HTML entities.

When You'd Use HTML Unescape

Reading Escaped Source Code

Source code displayed on web pages is often escaped so the browser renders it as text rather than markup. Use this tool to convert it back to readable, usable HTML that you can actually work with.

Processing Scraped HTML

Web scrapers often return content with HTML entities intact. Before you can parse or reuse that content, you need to decode the entities back to their original characters. This tool makes that instant.

Cleaning API Responses

Many APIs return HTML content with entities already escaped for safe embedding. When you need the raw HTML — for rendering in a different context or further processing — this tool decodes it in one step.

Restoring Database Content

Content stored in databases is frequently escaped before storage as a security measure. When you extract that content for migration, editing, or display in a non-HTML context, unescaping restores it to its original form.

Frequently Asked Questions

What HTML entities does this tool decode?

It decodes all three types of HTML entities: named entities (like <, >, &, ©, —), decimal numeric references (like ©), and hexadecimal references (like ©). Over 50 common named entities are supported plus the full range of numeric references.

Is my data sent to a server?

No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your HTML content never leaves your computer.

What is the difference between HTML unescape and HTML decode?

They mean the same thing. "Unescape" and "decode" both refer to converting HTML entity references back to their original characters. The terms are used interchangeably in web development.

Can I reverse the operation?

Yes. Click the Escape button on the output panel to re-encode the unescaped HTML back into entity references. You can also use our dedicated HTML Escape tool.

Does it handle nested or double-escaped entities?

The tool performs a single pass of unescaping. If your content is double-escaped (e.g., &lt;), you'll need to run it through the tool twice to fully decode it.

What file formats can I upload?

You can upload .txt, .html, and .htm files. The content will be loaded into the editor and unescaped automatically.

Related HTML & Encoding Tools

Need to do something else with HTML? Check out these related tools: