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URL Encoder/Decoder

Encode and decode URLs and URI components

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URL Encoder/Decoder percent-encodes text for safe inclusion in a URL, with two modes — a lighter encoding that leaves URL structure characters like / and : alone, and a full encoding that escapes virtually everything, meant for a single query parameter value rather than a whole URL.

Enter URL or encoded string

How to use URL Encoder/Decoder

  1. 1

    Paste your text or URL.

  2. 2

    Choose Encode or Decode.

  3. 3

    If encoding, choose full encoding or standard encoding.

  4. 4

    Copy the result.

Everything you need to know about URL encoding

Why does URL encoding exist?

URLs can only safely contain a limited set of characters — spaces, symbols, and non-ASCII characters need to be encoded as `%`-prefixed codes (a space becomes `%20`) so the URL remains valid and unambiguous wherever it's used.

When you actually need this

  • Building a URL with a query parameter that contains spaces or special characters.
  • Decoding a URL to see what a percent-encoded parameter actually says.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between the two encoding modes?

Standard encoding (encodeURI) leaves characters like / : and ? alone since they're structural parts of a URL, while full encoding (encodeURIComponent) escapes those too — use full encoding for a single value going into a query parameter, not for an entire URL.

What happens if I try to decode text that isn't properly percent-encoded?

It's handled gracefully — if standard decoding fails, a fallback decoding is tried, and if both fail, a clear error is returned rather than a cryptic exception.

Why would a URL need encoding at all?

Characters like spaces, &, and # have special meaning in a URL or would break it outright; percent-encoding represents them safely so the URL remains valid.

Does this tool send my text to a server?

Yes — it's sent to our servers to encode or decode and the result is returned to you; nothing is stored.

Is this tool free to use?

Yes — completely free, with no signup and no usage limits for casual use.