HTML ↔ BBCode Converter
Convert between HTML and BBCode formats with auto-detection. Perfect for forum posts, bulletin boards, and legacy systems. Supports all major BBCode tags including formatting, links, images, lists, quotes, tables, and more. Two-way conversion with real-time validation and syntax checking.
Recommended Settings
HTML to BBCode Conversion
- •Converts all standard HTML tags to BBCode equivalents: <b> → [b], <i> → [i], <u> → [u]
- •Handles inline styles like color and font-size to [color=] and [size=] tags
- •Converts complex structures: lists, tables, blockquotes, and code blocks
- •Automatically removes unsupported HTML tags while preserving content
- •Perfect for migrating blog content to forum posts or bulletin board systems
BBCode to HTML Conversion
- •Supports all major BBCode tags: formatting, links, images, lists, quotes, and tables
- •Handles parameterized tags like [color=red], [size=14], [url=http://...]
- •Converts BBCode lists [list][*] to proper HTML <ul>/<ol> with <li> elements
- •Embeds YouTube videos from [youtube]videoID[/youtube] as iframe elements
- •Generates semantic HTML with proper attributes and styling
Pro Tips
- •Auto-detection identifies whether your input is HTML or BBCode automatically
- •The tool validates tags and warns you about unclosed or malformed tags
- •Use 'Convert to BBCode' for HTML input, 'Convert to HTML' for BBCode input
- •Statistics show tags found, character count, and detected format for reference
Most Popular
Auto-detect enabled for seamless two-way conversion
When to Use This Tool
Convert HTML content to BBCode format for posting on forums, bulletin boards, and community platforms that use BBCode markup. Most forum software (phpBB, vBulletin, SMF) uses BBCode instead of HTML, making this tool essential for content migration and cross-posting.
Migrate content between systems that use different markup formats. Convert blog posts (HTML) to forum threads (BBCode), or vice versa. Perfect for platform migrations, content backups, or cross-posting workflows where you need to maintain formatting across different systems.
Work with legacy bulletin board systems and forums that still use BBCode markup. Convert modern HTML content to BBCode for compatibility with older systems, or convert archived BBCode content to HTML for modern web applications and CMS platforms.
Create documentation that works in both HTML and BBCode environments. Convert training materials, FAQs, or knowledge base articles between formats to support different platforms, ensuring consistent formatting and structure across all systems.
How It Works
Paste your HTML or BBCode content into the input field on the left
The tool automatically detects whether your input is HTML or BBCode format
Click 'Convert to BBCode' to convert HTML to BBCode, or 'Convert to HTML' for the reverse
The converter handles all major tags: formatting (bold, italic), links, images, lists, quotes, tables, and more
Tag validation checks for unclosed or malformed tags and displays warnings
Review the converted output on the right with character count and statistics
Copy the result to clipboard or download it as .txt (BBCode) or .html file
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is BBCode and why is it used?
BBCode (Bulletin Board Code) is a lightweight markup language used in forums and bulletin boards as a safer alternative to HTML. It uses square brackets like [b]text[/b] instead of angle brackets <b>text</b>. Forums use BBCode because it's easier to parse, prevents XSS attacks, and gives administrators more control over allowed formatting while still providing users with rich text capabilities.
How does auto-detection work?
The tool analyzes your input for tag patterns: angle brackets (<tag>) indicate HTML, while square brackets ([tag]) indicate BBCode. It checks both patterns and determines which format is more prevalent. If your content has mixed tags, it defaults to HTML. The detected format is displayed in a banner at the top, and the conversion direction is automatically suggested.
What HTML tags are supported for conversion to BBCode?
Supported tags include: formatting (<b>, <i>, <u>, <s>, <strong>, <em>), headings (<h1>-<h3>), links (<a href>), images (<img src>), lists (<ul>, <ol>, <li>), quotes (<blockquote>), code (<pre>, <code>), tables (<table>, <tr>, <th>, <td>), inline styles (color, font-size, text-align), and line breaks (<br>). Unsupported tags are stripped while preserving their content.
What BBCode tags are supported for conversion to HTML?
All major BBCode tags are supported: [b], [i], [u], [s], [color=], [size=], [font=], [url=], [img], [list], [*], [quote], [code], [table], [tr], [th], [td], [center], [left], [right], [spoiler], [youtube], [hr], and more. Parameterized tags like [color=red] and [url=http://...] are properly converted to HTML with attributes.
Why does the validator show warnings?
The validator checks for common syntax errors like unclosed tags. For example, [b]text without [/b] or <div> without </div>. These warnings help you identify potential formatting issues before posting. However, some warnings are false positives for self-closing tags like <img> or single tags like [*] in lists. Use your judgment to determine if warnings indicate actual problems.
Can I convert tables and complex layouts?
Yes! The tool supports table conversion in both directions. HTML <table> tags convert to [table][tr][td] BBCode tags, and vice versa. However, BBCode has limited layout capabilities compared to HTML/CSS, so complex styling, nested layouts, and advanced CSS may not translate perfectly. The tool focuses on structural conversion while preserving content.