Binary to Text
Decode binary back into readable text.
Unescape Text
Turn escaped strings from code back into readable text.
Quick Tool Overview
Unescape Text resolves the escapes in a code or JSON string back into real characters — \n becomes a line break, \uXXXX becomes its character, surrogate pairs combine into emoji — with modes for SQL, shell and CSV as well, and detection for double-escaped text.
- What it does
- Turns escaped strings back into readable text
- You give it
- A string from a log, JSON payload or source file
- You get back
- The plain text it represents
- Best for
- Reading logs and escaped API payloads
About the Unescape Text
A JSON string copied out of a log is a wall of backslashes: every quote escaped, every newline written as \n, every non-ASCII character as \uXXXX. It is valid and it is unreadable, which is a problem when you are trying to see what actually went wrong.
This resolves the escapes back into real characters. JSON and JavaScript escapes including \n, \t, \r, \", \\ and \uXXXX are handled, with surrogate pairs combined so emoji come back whole. There are modes for SQL doubled quotes, shell escaping and CSV doubled quotes as well. Double-escaped text, where a backslash was itself escaped, is detected and can be unescaped twice — which is what you need when a value has passed through two systems that each escaped it.
Key features of the Unescape Text
Full JSON escape set
\n, \t, \r, \", \\ and \uXXXX all resolved, with real line breaks restored as line breaks.
Surrogate pairs combined
Two escapes encoding one emoji become that emoji rather than two broken symbols.
Double escaping detected
A \\n means a literal backslash, and the tool offers the second pass that a value escaped twice needs.
Four source formats
JSON and JavaScript, SQL doubled quotes, shell escaping and CSV, each by its own rules.
Invalid escapes survive
An unrecognised sequence is left as it is and reported, rather than discarding the rest of the string.
How to use the Unescape Text
-
1
Paste the escaped string
From a log, a JSON payload, a config file or source code.
-
2
Choose the source format
JSON and JavaScript, SQL, shell or CSV — each unescapes by its own rules.
-
3
Read the plain text
Escapes become real characters, with line breaks restored as line breaks.
-
4
Unescape again if needed
Double-escaped text is detected and a second pass is offered.
Frequently asked questions
Because it was escaped twice, usually by two systems that each did their own escaping. A \\n means a literal backslash followed by an n, and needs a second pass to become a line break.
Yes, including surrogate pairs, so two escapes that together encode an emoji are combined into the single character rather than left as two broken symbols.
Very little in practice. JavaScript additionally allows \x hex escapes, octal escapes in older code, and escaped line continuations, all of which this tool handles in JavaScript mode.
No. An unrecognised escape sequence is left exactly as it is and reported, rather than throwing away the rest of the string.
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