How to Convert a List to an HTML Unordered List
You have a plain list of items and need it as HTML markup for a CMS field, an email template, or
a static page you're editing directly. Wrapping every line in <li> tags by hand is slow and easy to mess up once you have more than a few items. Paste the list here
and it converts instantly.
Convert your list now. Free, no account needed.
Open List Format Converter →How to do it
- Paste your list into the converter. One item per line.
- Select HTML Unordered List or HTML Ordered List from the format dropdown.
- Copy the output and paste it into your page or template.
A list like this:
apple banana cherry
becomes, as an HTML unordered list:
<ul> <li>apple</li> <li>banana</li> <li>cherry</li> </ul>
or, as an HTML ordered list:
<ol> <li>apple</li> <li>banana</li> <li>cherry</li> </ol>
Special characters are escaped automatically
If a list item contains a character with special meaning in HTML - <, >, &, or " - it's converted to the matching HTML entity automatically. A line like Fish & Chips becomes Fish & Chips in the output, so the browser displays
the ampersand correctly instead of trying to parse whatever follows it as an entity reference.
Adding your own styling
The converter outputs plain, unstyled <ul>/<ol>/<li> markup - no classes, no inline styles. Add a class attribute to the <ul> or <ol> tag after pasting if your site's CSS targets a specific
class name, or wrap the block in a container that already has list styling applied.
Going the other way: HTML list back to a plain list
Paste an existing <ul> or <ol> block into the input and the tool detects it automatically, extracting the text from each <li> and stripping any nested tags. Useful when you've been handed
HTML content and need the plain values back - for a spreadsheet, a different format, or further
editing in Text Fixer.
Need other formats from the same list?
JSON array, SQL IN clause, Markdown bullets, CSV row: 21 formats, same tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert a list to an HTML unordered list?
<ul> block with each line wrapped in <li> tags.How do I get a numbered HTML list instead?
<ol> block with the same <li> items - browsers number them automatically, so you don't need to add numbers yourself.What happens to special characters like < and & in my list items?
<, >, &, or " is converted to its HTML entity (<, >, &, ") so the output renders correctly instead of being interpreted as markup.Can I add CSS classes to the list or list items?
<ul>/<ol>/<li> markup. Add a class attribute to the <ul> or <ol> tag after pasting if you need to style it with your site's CSS.Can I convert an existing HTML list back to a plain list?
<ul> or <ol> markup into the input and the tool detects it automatically, extracting the text from each <li> and stripping any nested tags, leaving one item per line.Does this work for nested lists?
<ul>, only the top-level <li> text is extracted; nested sub-lists inside an <li> aren't preserved as a separate structure.