URL Encoder & Decoder
Encode special characters in URLs or decode percent-encoded strings back to plain text instantly with our free URL Encoder & Decoder tool.
URL or text to encodeWhat is a URL encoder & decoder?
A URL encoder & decoder is an online utility that converts text into a URL-safe percent-encoded format or decodes percent-encoded strings back into readable text. URL encoding is commonly used when special characters need to be safely included in URLs, query parameters, and web requests.
This free URL Encoder & Decoder supports standard percent-encoding for spaces, special characters, and Unicode text. Encoding and decoding are performed directly in your browser.
How to use the URL Encoder & Decoder
To encode text or a URL, select Encode, enter your content, and click Encode URL. The encoded result will appear in the output field.
To decode an encoded string, select Decode, paste the percent-encoded content into the input field, and click Decode URL. The decoded text will then appear in the output field.
Use Copy result to copy the output to your clipboard. You can use Reset at any time to clear the current result and return to Encode mode.
Why is URL encoding necessary?
URL encoding, also called percent-encoding, allows characters that have special meanings or are not suitable for direct use in a URL to be represented safely. A space, for example, can be represented as %20, while an ampersand can be represented as %26.
This is particularly useful when working with query parameters, API requests, redirects, and URLs that contain user-provided data. Encoding helps prevent characters in the data from being interpreted as part of the URL structure.
URL encoding vs. encoding a full URL
Encoding an entire URL and encoding a URL parameter are not always the same operation. A complete URL contains structural characters such as slashes, colons, and question marks that normally need to remain meaningful to the browser.
This tool uses JavaScript's encodeURIComponent() function. It is particularly suitable for encoding individual URL components, such as query parameter values. If an entire URL is encoded with this function, structural characters such as / and : will also be percent-encoded.
For the formal URI syntax and percent-encoding rules, see the RFC 3986 Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) Generic Syntax .
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
%20 is the percent-encoded representation of a space. A plus sign (+) is also commonly used to represent a space in query-string data that follows the application/x-www-form-urlencoded format. These representations are context-dependent and should not be treated as universally interchangeable.
These are percent-encoded representations of characters that have special meanings in URL syntax. %3D represents =, %26 represents &, and %3F represents ?. Encoding these characters can prevent them from being interpreted as URL structure when they are part of a data value.
Yes. You can paste a complete URL into the tool and select Encode. Because the tool uses encodeURIComponent(), characters such as slashes and colons will also be encoded. This is useful when a complete URL needs to be passed as a parameter value inside another URL, but it is not normally how you would prepare a URL for direct navigation.
If the string does not contain percent-encoded sequences, the decoder generally returns the original text unchanged. If the input contains an invalid percent-encoding sequence, the tool displays an error and asks you to provide a valid encoded string.
No. The encoding and decoding operations are performed directly in your browser using JavaScript. The tool does not send the input or output to a DigitalMind Tools server as part of the encoding or decoding process.