JSON escape and JSON unescape.
Everything runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded. Related: JSON minifier → · All free tools →
Do more with the JSON behind the escapes
Escaped JSON usually means JSON nested inside a JSON string, a log line wrapping a payload, an env var holding config. Once you unescape it, you're holding real JSON, and that's what the jsonbolt desktop app is built for: it opens clipboard JSON with one keystroke and renders even gigabyte payloads instantly.
Copy the result
One click on Copy above, the unescaped payload is on your clipboard.
Press Win + J⌃ ⌥ J
jsonbolt launches and opens your clipboard in one step. (Opt-in: Settings → Launch.)
Explore & export
Search the tree, extract any subtree by path, and export the selection as YAML, CSV, or XML.
YAML, CSV, and XML export are built in.
JSON escape rules
A JSON string may contain any unicode character except a bare double quote, a bare backslash, and control characters below U+0020. Those must be written as escape sequences:
| Character | Escaped as |
|---|---|
Double quote " | \" |
Backslash \ | \\ |
| Newline | \n |
| Tab | \t |
| Carriage return | \r |
| Backspace / form feed | \b / \f |
| Other control characters | \u00XX |
Two common surprises: forward slashes may be escaped as \/ but never have to be, and non-ASCII text, accents, CJK, emoji, is perfectly legal unescaped. This tool escapes only what the spec requires, so the output stays readable.
How this tool handles the details
- Escape output has no surrounding quotes, it pastes directly between the quotes of a JSON string. Wrap it in
"…"yourself if you need a complete literal. - Unescape accepts both forms, with or without surrounding quotes, and validates the escape sequences, showing a parser error for broken ones like a lone trailing backslash.
- Unicode passes through untouched in both directions;
\uXXXXsequences decode to their real characters on unescape. - Everything runs locally. Log lines with tokens and secrets never leave the tab.
FAQ
How do I escape double quotes in JSON?
Put a backslash before each one: " becomes \". Paste your text into this page in Escape mode and every quote, backslash, newline, and control character is escaped for you, the output drops straight between the quotes of a JSON string.
Which characters must be escaped in a JSON string?
Double quotes (\"), backslashes (\\), and all control characters below U+0020, newline becomes \n, tab \t, carriage return \r, backspace \b, form feed \f, and anything else \u00XX. Forward slashes and non-ASCII characters like é or emoji are legal unescaped.
Does the escaped output include the surrounding quotes?
No. The output is just the escaped content, so you can paste it directly between the quotes of a JSON string. Add quotes around it if you need a complete JSON string literal.
How do I unescape a JSON string?
Switch to Unescape mode and paste the escaped text, with or without its surrounding quotes. JSON unescape is the exact inverse of escaping, so a round trip returns the original bytes. The \n, \", \\, and \uXXXX sequences turn back into real characters. Invalid escape sequences show a parser error.
Is my text uploaded to a server?
No. Escaping and unescaping run entirely in your browser. Your data never leaves your machine, so it's safe for log lines and payloads that contain secrets.
How do I read JSON that is full of escaped JSON?
That's usually JSON nested inside a JSON string, common in log pipelines. Unescape it here, then press Win + J⌃ ⌥ J with the result on your clipboard: the jsonbolt desktop app opens it as an explorable tree, even at multi-gigabyte scale.