HTML Unescape

Paste HTML-escaped text and instantly recover the original readable characters. Converts &amp; back to &, &lt; back to <, &gt; back to >, &quot; back to ", and &#039; back to '.

Last updated: May 28, 2026

HTML-escaped input

Unescaped output

Converts: & → &, < → <, > → >, " → ", ' → '. If output still contains entities, the text was double-encoded — run it again.

Client-Side Processing

Input Data Stays on Device

Instant Local Execution

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What is HTML Unescape?

HTML unescaping is the reverse of HTML escaping. When text goes through an HTML encoder — a template engine, CMS, or escaping library — special characters like &, <, and > are replaced with their entity codes so browsers don't misinterpret them as markup. Unescaping recovers those original characters.

You encounter escaped HTML in scraped web content, database exports, API responses from CMS platforms, email bodies, and any text that passed through an HTML sanitizer before storage. This tool focuses on the unescape direction to keep the workflow clear.

How to Use HTML Unescape

Paste the HTML-escaped text into the input field

Click "Unescape HTML" to convert entities back to characters

The output shows the original readable text

Copy the result with the copy button

Common Use Cases

Developers reading CMS export data where content was stored with HTML-escaped characters.
Data engineers cleaning scraped web content that contains &, <, and > in text fields.
QA testers verifying that a template engine correctly escapes and unescapes content round-trips.
Support teams converting escaped error messages or log entries back to readable form.
Content editors recovering clean text from HTML source that was over-encoded during migration.

Example Input and Output

Unescaping a blog excerpt stored with HTML entities in a CMS database export.

HTML-escaped text

Tom &amp; Jerry said &quot;It&#039;s a &lt;great&gt; day!&quot;

Unescaped output

Tom & Jerry said "It's a <great> day!"

Double-encoded content

If the output still contains entities like &amp;, the text was double-encoded. Run it through this tool a second time.

Browser-side only

All processing runs locally in your browser. No text is sent to any server.

Frequently Asked Questions

What entities does this tool unescape?

The five most common HTML entities: &amp; → &, &lt; → <, &gt; → >, &quot; → ", and &#039; → '.

What is the difference between HTML Unescape and HTML Entities to Text?

HTML Unescape focuses on the five core escaping characters. HTML Entities to Text also handles decimal (<) and hex (<) numeric entities, making it more suitable for content with a wider range of encoded characters.

Why would my text have HTML entities outside of HTML files?

HTML entities appear in RSS feeds, XML exports, CMS databases, email platforms, and any system that applies HTML encoding to all stored text — not just text rendered inside HTML pages.

Can I escape HTML here too?

Use the HTML Escape tool for the reverse direction. Both tools are linked in the related tools section.

Is my content processed on a server?

No. Everything runs in your browser. Your text never leaves your device.