URL Encode / Decode

Percent-encode text for URLs, or decode encoded query strings and path segments. Client-side only.

Mode

Input

Output

How URL Encode / Decode works

What gets encoded

Encoding works like JavaScript's encodeURIComponent: every character except letters, digits, and - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ) is replaced with % and its UTF-8 bytes in hex. A space becomes %20, & becomes %26, and € becomes %E2%82%AC.

This is the right encoding for a single value: a query parameter value or one path segment. It also encodes /, ?, =, and &, so do not run a whole URL through it. https://example.com/a?b=c would come out as one opaque string. Encode each value separately and then assemble the URL.

Decoding

Decoding turns %XX sequences back into characters, reading multi-byte sequences as UTF-8, so %C3%A9 becomes é. A + is decoded as a space, because HTML forms and many analytics and ad platforms encode spaces that way in query strings. If a value contains a literal plus sign, it should already be encoded as %2B.

An incomplete or invalid sequence, such as a lone % or %E2%82 without its last byte, produces an error rather than a partly decoded result. Text that has been encoded twice (%2520) needs decoding twice.

Example

The =, &, and / are encoded because this is meant for a single value, and € becomes its three UTF-8 bytes.

Text

q=price < 50 & in stock/€

Encoded

q%3Dprice%20%3C%2050%20%26%20in%20stock%2F%E2%82%AC

How to use URL Encode / Decode

1
Choose Encode or Decode.
2
Paste a value to encode, or an encoded string to decode.
3
Check the output, or the error for invalid sequences.
4
Copy the result into your URL, code, or spreadsheet.

When to use it

Building links

Encode search terms, redirect targets, or campaign values before putting them in a query string.

Reading logs and analytics

Decode URLs from server logs or analytics exports into readable text.