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BBCode to HTML Converter

Paste BBCode text and get clean HTML output you can use anywhere — copy it to the clipboard or download as an .html file.

Last updated: May 26, 2026

Client-Side Processing
Input Data Stays on Device
Instant Local Execution
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What is BBCode to HTML Converter?

BBCode (Bulletin Board Code) is a lightweight markup language used in online forums, bulletin boards, and community platforms. Tags like `[b]`, `[i]`, `[url]`, and `[quote]` apply formatting that the forum software then renders as HTML when displaying posts.

This converter parses BBCode client-side and outputs the equivalent HTML. It handles the most common tags: text formatting (`[b]`, `[i]`, `[u]`, `[s]`), links (`[url]`), images (`[img]`), quoted blocks (`[quote]`), code blocks (`[code]`, `[pre]`), ordered and unordered lists, inline colour (`[color]`), and font size (`[size]`).

All URL values in `[url]` and `[img]` tags are sanitised to prevent `javascript:` protocol injection. Newlines in the BBCode are converted to `<br>` in the HTML output, matching the way most forum engines render posts.

How to Use BBCode to HTML Converter

1

Paste your BBCode text into the input panel on the left.

2

The HTML equivalent appears instantly on the right.

3

Click Copy to copy the HTML, or Download to save it as converted.html.

4

Paste the HTML wherever you need it — a CMS, an email template, or a static page.

Common Use Cases

  • Migrating old forum posts from a BBCode-based board to a CMS that uses HTML.
  • Extracting formatted content from phpBB, vBulletin, or XenForo for use in an email newsletter.
  • Converting BBCode-formatted user documentation to clean HTML for a knowledge base.
  • Testing how BBCode renders before posting to a live forum.
  • Building a tool that accepts BBCode input and needs to output HTML.

Example Input and Output

A short BBCode snippet with a bold title, italic text, and a URL converts to valid HTML.

BBCode input
[b]Hello, World![/b]
[i]Click here:[/i] [url=https://example.com]Example[/url]
HTML output
<strong>Hello, World!</strong><br>
<em>Click here:</em> <a href="https://example.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Example</a>

Privacy

All conversion happens locally in your browser. No text is sent to a server.

Nested tags

Most tags can be nested — for example [color=blue][b]blue bold[/b][/color] works correctly. Very deeply nested or unclosed tags may produce unexpected output, just as they would in a real forum engine.

List syntax

Use [list][*]item[/list] for unordered lists and [list=1][*]item[/list] for ordered lists. Each [*] marker starts a new list item.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which BBCode tags are supported?

Bold [b], italic [i], underline [u], strikethrough [s], subscript [sub], superscript [sup], colour [color], size [size], link [url], image [img], quote [quote], code [code], preformatted [pre], unordered list [list], ordered list [list=1], horizontal rule [hr], and text alignment [center] [left] [right].

Are URLs sanitised?

Yes. Any URL in a [url] or [img] tag that starts with javascript: is replaced with # to prevent XSS. Only http and https URLs pass through unchanged.

How are newlines handled?

Each newline in the BBCode input becomes a <br> tag in the HTML output, matching the behaviour of most forum engines. Content inside [code] and [pre] blocks is exempt — newlines there are preserved as-is.

Can I convert HTML back to BBCode?

Not with this tool. Converting HTML back to BBCode requires a separate parser — check the related tools section.

Does this tool send my text anywhere?

No. Parsing and conversion run entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

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