URL Encode / Decode

About this tool

URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) rewrites characters that aren't safe to put directly in a web address into a % followed by two hex digits — a space becomes %20, for example. This tool encodes text so it's safe to place in a URL, and decodes percent-encoded text back into readable form.

URLs are only allowed to contain a limited set of characters. Spaces, accented letters, and symbols like &, ?, =, # and / all have special meaning or aren't permitted, so when they need to appear as ordinary data — inside a query-string value, a search term, or a redirect parameter — they have to be encoded first. Get this wrong and links break: a stray & in a value can split one parameter into two, and an un-encoded space can truncate the address entirely.

That's why encoding matters whenever you build URLs by hand or pass data through them: search queries, tracking parameters, API request strings, and any value that might contain punctuation or non-English characters. Decoding is just as useful in reverse — when you're reading a messy URL full of % sequences and want to see what it actually says.

Encoding and decoding run in your browser, so whatever you paste isn't uploaded or stored.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a space become %20?

Spaces aren't allowed in a URL, so they're replaced with their encoded form. Depending on context a space may also appear as a plus sign in query strings; both decode back to a space.

When do I need to encode something?

Whenever a value going into a URL might contain spaces, punctuation, or characters with special meaning like & ? = or #. Encoding keeps them as data instead of letting the browser treat them as part of the URL's structure.

What's the difference between encoding and decoding?

Encoding turns readable text into the safe %-form for placing in a URL. Decoding does the reverse, turning a percent-encoded string back into the original readable text.

Is URL encoding a security feature?

No. It's about making data safe to transport in a URL, not about hiding or protecting it. Anyone can decode it instantly, so never treat encoded text as concealed.

Why did my decode produce odd characters?

That usually means the input wasn't valid percent-encoding, or it used a different character set than expected. Check that the string is a clean, fully-encoded URL fragment.