URL Encoder & Decoder
Percent-encode URLs and query strings, or decode them back to readable text.
Free · No sign-up · Runs locally in your browser · Also available in Chinese (中文)
What is URL Encoder & Decoder?
URL encoding (percent-encoding) replaces unsafe characters in a URL with a % followed by their hexadecimal byte value — a space becomes %20, a Chinese character becomes three %XX groups. Without it, special characters like &, =, ? and spaces break the structure of the URL itself.
This tool offers the two variants developers actually need: encodeURIComponent semantics for individual parameter values (which also escapes &, /, ?) and encodeURI semantics for complete URLs (which preserves the structural characters). Decoding reverses either variant and correctly handles UTF-8 multi-byte sequences.
How to use it
- 1Paste the URL or parameter value into the input box.
- 2Pick Encode (component or full URL) or Decode from the mode buttons.
- 3The converted text appears instantly in the output panel.
- 4Copy the result and paste it into your code, config or request builder.
Common use cases
- Building a query string where a user-typed search term may contain spaces, & or #.
- Decoding an unreadable redirect URL full of %3A%2F%2F sequences into readable text.
- Encoding path segments for REST APIs that contain IDs with special characters.
Frequently asked questions
▸When should I use component encoding vs full URL encoding?
Use component encoding (encodeURIComponent) for each individual value you insert into a URL, and full URL encoding (encodeURI) only when you have a complete URL that must not lose its structure like :// and ?.
▸Why do spaces sometimes show as + instead of %20?
The + for space is a convention from HTML form submissions (application/x-www-form-urlencoded). This tool uses standard percent-encoding (%20), which is correct in all URL contexts.