Developer Tools
URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode text to percent-encoded URL format or decode a percent-encoded string back to plain text. Choose between query parameter and full URL encoding.
Encode or decode URLs in three steps
No software to install. Works in any browser, on any device.
Paste your URL or text
Enter a URL to encode or an encoded string to decode.
Choose encode or decode
Click the appropriate action.
Copy the result
Get your encoded URL or clean decoded text instantly.
URL input
Encode and decode
Both directions. Encode special characters for URLs, or decode encoded strings to read them.
Full URL or components
Encode an entire URL or just a single parameter value.
Instant output
Results appear as you type. No button press needed.
About URL Encoding
URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters. Characters outside this set — spaces, accented letters, symbols like &, =, +, and non-Latin characters — must be percent-encoded before being included in a URL. Percent encoding replaces each unsafe character with a % followed by the two-digit hex code of the character's byte value.
A space becomes %20, an ampersand becomes %26, an equals sign becomes %3D. Non-ASCII characters like é are first encoded as UTF-8 bytes, then percent-encoded — so é becomes %C3%A9.
Query parameter mode (encodeURIComponent) encodes everything including &, =, ?, / and #. Use this for individual query string values. Full URL mode (encodeURI) preserves these characters since they have structural meaning in a URL.
Common use case: you're building a URL that includes a search query with spaces or special characters. Pass the value through encodeURIComponent first and include the result as the query parameter value. When your server receives the request, it will decode it back automatically. This is the correct way to pass user input in URLs safely.
Decoding is equally useful — when you receive a URL-encoded string and need to read the original value, paste it in and switch to decode mode. Common sources of encoded strings: query parameters from analytics tools, webhook payloads, API log entries, and form submissions.
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Use itFrequently Asked Questions
What is URL encoding?
Converts characters not allowed in URLs into percent-encoded form. A space becomes %20, & becomes %26, = becomes %3D. Ensures URLs work even when they contain special characters.
When do I need to URL encode?
When putting user input into query parameters, building URLs programmatically, or when a URL contains spaces, &, #, or non-ASCII characters.
encodeURI vs encodeURIComponent in JavaScript?
encodeURI encodes a full URL, leaving / : @ ? = & intact. encodeURIComponent encodes a component value and also encodes those separators. Use encodeURIComponent for individual parameter values.
What characters are safe in URLs without encoding?
Letters (A-Z, a-z), digits (0-9), and - _ . ~ are unreserved and safe. Everything else should be percent-encoded in query strings.