Free URL Encoder / Decoder
Convert URLs to percent-encoding and back — handle special characters safely.
How to use the URL encoder
- Paste a URL or an encoded string.
- Press Encode to percent-encode it, or Decode to reverse it.
- Copy the result with one click.
When URLs need encoding
URLs may only contain a limited character set, so anything else — spaces, ampersands, unicode, emoji — must be percent-encoded before it travels safely. The classic symptom of missing encoding is a broken link: a space in a query parameter truncates the URL, and an unencoded & splits one parameter into two. Always encode user input before putting it in a URL, and encode each query parameter value separately rather than the whole URL (encoding the entire URL would also encode the ? and & that hold it together). When debugging, decode first: a wall of %20 and %3D becomes readable the moment you run it through the decoder.
Frequently asked questions
What is percent-encoding?
Characters outside the URL-safe set are replaced with % followed by two hex digits — a space becomes %20, for example.
Should I encode the whole URL or just parameters?
Just the parameter values. Encoding the full URL would break its structure by encoding : / ? and &.
What's the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
This tool uses encodeURIComponent semantics: it encodes everything except unreserved characters, which is what you want for parameter values.
Why did my decode fail?
Malformed input like a lone % at the end of a string is not valid encoding. Check for truncated or double-encoded strings.