URL Encode / Decode

Percent-encode text for safe use in a URL, or decode percent-encoded text back to plain text.

Encode Text for a URL

Decode a URL-Encoded String

Why URLs need encoding

URLs can only safely contain a limited set of characters. Spaces, ampersands, question marks, and other reserved or non-ASCII characters have to be replaced with a percent sign followed by their hex byte value (like %20 for a space) so they don't get misread as part of the URL's structure.

Component vs. full URL encoding

This tool encodes a single value (like a query parameter) the way encodeURIComponent does — it escapes characters such as &, ?, and / that have special meaning in a URL. Encoding an entire URL at once uses a slightly different rule set that leaves those structural characters alone.

Both conversions happen locally in your browser — nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Common questions

When would I need this?

Building query strings by hand, debugging a URL that looks garbled, or passing text with spaces or special characters (like search terms) as part of a link.

Why does a "+" sometimes mean a space?

In query strings (the part after "?"), a "+" traditionally represents a space, a convention from HTML form submission. This decoder treats a literal "+" the same way; use %20 if you specifically mean a plus sign.

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