Free Online URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode special characters in a URL to make it safe for transmission, or decode a percent-encoded string back to plain text — instantly, in your browser.
What is URL Encoding?
Why do URLs need to be encoded?
URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters. Characters outside that set — such as spaces, accented letters, symbols like&,=, or# — must be converted into a percent-encoded form (e.g. a space becomes%20) so they can be safely transmitted over the web without being misinterpreted by servers or browsers.
What is the difference between encoding and decoding?
Encoding converts raw text into a URL-safe percent-encoded string. Decoding reverses the process — it takes a percent-encoded string and converts it back to human-readable text. This tool uses the browser's nativeencodeURIComponentanddecodeURIComponentfunctions, which follow the RFC 3986 standard.
When would I use this tool?
- Query string parameters: Encoding values before appending them to a URL prevents characters like
&or=from breaking the parameter structure. - Debugging: Paste a percent-encoded URL into the decoder to quickly read what values it contains.
- API development: Ensure data sent in GET requests is properly encoded before it reaches the server.
- Non-ASCII content: Encode URLs containing emoji, Chinese characters, Arabic text, or any non-Latin script.
Is encoding done server-side?
No — all encoding and decoding in this tool happens entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server, so your data stays private.