HTML Unescape

Key takeaways

• Decode named and numeric HTML entities locally
• Built for CMS, email, and Power Automate paste workflows
• Escape remains available on the same panel
• Not a sanitizer or XSS filter

What is HTML unescape?

HTML unescape turns entity references like < and ' back into the characters they represent.

This intent page focuses on decode-first workflows. Escaping is still one click away on the shared workspace, but examples and FAQs emphasize recovering readable text from templates, exports, and automation tools.

Features

• Unescape first

  Primary action decodes entities to readable text.

• Numeric and named entities

  Supports common named entities plus &#decimal; and &#xhex;.

• Escape still available

  Switch direction without leaving the shared panel.

• Client-side only

  Encoded snippets never leave your browser.

How it works

1. 1

   Paste encoded text

   Use strings with <, &, or numeric references.

2. 2

   Run Unescape

   Recover plain text in the output panel.

3. 3

   Copy or download

   Paste into editors, tickets, or automation follow-up steps.

Example walkthroughs

• CMS double encoding

  Two-step unescape may be needed if a CMS encoded twice.

  Price < 10 & ships today

• Numeric apostrophe

  Named and numeric entities decode to readable punctuation.

  O'Reilly & team

Use cases

• Power Automate exports

  Recover readable text from HTML-encoded automation output.

• Email and CMS previews

  Inspect entity strings before editing marketing copy.

Code snippets

• Decode in the DOM

  js

  Browsers decode entities when assigning to innerHTML of a textarea - this tool mirrors that for plain text workflows.

  const textarea = document.createElement("textarea");
  textarea.innerHTML = "<price>";
  const decoded = textarea.value; // "<price>"

Common errors

• Output still shows entities

  Cause: Double-encoded strings need another unescape pass or a different source export.

  Fix: Run Unescape again or fix encoding at the CMS or automation step.

• Unexpected characters after decode

  Cause: Numeric references may point to code points your editor font cannot display.

  Fix: Verify the code point in a Unicode reference table before assuming corruption.

About HTML Unescape

HTML Unescape is the decode-first entry point for entity-heavy strings. Paste output from a CMS, marketing automation export, or Power Automate step that still shows <, &, or &#…; sequences, then run Unescape to recover the characters you expect in a preview or ticket.

Search intent for “html unescape online” usually means fixing double-encoded snippets before editing copy, not learning the full HTML entity catalog. This page keeps the primary action on Unescape while the shared HTML Escape workspace still offers Escape when you need to prepare text for a template.

Privacy matters when decoded text includes customer names, internal URLs, or ticket bodies. Processing stays on-device so drafts are not uploaded to a hosted entity decoder. Pair with HTML Escape when you need round-trip checks, JSON Escape for JSON string literals, and URL Encode for query components.

Best practice: unescape only text you already trust to display; decoding entities does not remove scripts from HTML markup. For encode workflows or symmetric round-trips, open the parent HTML Escape page or switch to Escape on this workspace.

Frequently asked questions

Explore more

• HTML Escape

  Open the full HTML Escape workspace.

• All developer tools

  Browse formatters, converters, encoders, and more.

• Encoding tools

  Base64, URL encode/decode, HTML entities, and related utilities.