URL Encode / Decode
Percent-encode text for URLs, or decode an encoded URL back to text.
About this tool
URLs can only contain a limited set of characters, so spaces, ampersands,
question marks and non-English letters have to be percent-encoded (for
example a space becomes %20). This tool encodes text for use in
a query string or path and decodes percent-encoded text back to normal.
It encodes each component safely, which is what you want when building a query parameter. Everything runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
- When do I need URL encoding?
- Whenever you put arbitrary text into a URL — a search term, a name with spaces, or a value with & or = in it — so the URL isn't misread.
- What's the difference between encoding a component and a whole URL?
- This tool encodes a single component (like one query value), so characters such as & and = are escaped. Encoding an entire URL would leave those intact.
- Why did decoding leave a % sign?
- The input contained a % that wasn't part of a valid %XX sequence, so it was left as-is. Check that the encoded text is complete and well-formed.