About

URL Encode / Decode

Encode or decode URLs and query parameters

Plain Text0 chars
Encoded Output0 chars

Enter text and click Encode/Decode to convert

About This Tool

URL encoding (also known as percent encoding) converts special characters in a URL into a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet. Characters like spaces, ampersands, slashes, and non-ASCII characters are replaced with a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits. This is essential when constructing query parameters for API requests, handling user input in URLs, or working with APIs that expect properly encoded request strings. Improperly encoded URLs can lead to broken links, failed API calls, or security vulnerabilities such as injection attacks. Our free online URL encoder and decoder handles all reserved and unreserved characters according to RFC 3986, including multibyte UTF-8 characters, so you can safely process internationalized URLs and complex query strings.

How to Use

  1. Paste the URL or text string you want to encode into the input field. This can be a full URL, a query parameter value, or any text containing special characters.
  2. Click "Encode" to convert the string using percent encoding. Spaces will be converted to %20 (or + depending on the mode), and all special characters will be replaced with their encoded equivalents.
  3. To decode a URL-encoded string, paste it into the input and click "Decode". The tool will convert all percent-encoded sequences back to their original characters.
  4. Use the encode component option to encode only specific query parameter values without encoding the entire URL structure, preserving slashes, colons, and other structural characters.

Frequently Asked Questions

URI encoding follows RFC 3986 and encodes characters based on their role in a URI (reserved vs. unreserved). URL encoding is a subset of URI encoding that applies specifically to URLs. In practice, both terms refer to percent encoding, where unsafe characters are replaced with %HH sequences. Our tool follows RFC 3986 standards for maximum compatibility.
Typically, you only need to encode the query parameter values, not the entire URL. Encoding the full URL would also encode structural characters like :// and /, which would break the URL. Use the "encode component" option to encode only the values while preserving the URL structure.
In the application/x-www-form-urlencoded format (used in query strings and form submissions), spaces are represented as +. In the standard percent encoding (RFC 3986), spaces are encoded as %20. Both are valid, but the correct choice depends on the context. Our tool supports both modes.
They are essentially the same thing. Percent encoding is the formal name for the mechanism, while URL encoding refers to its application in URLs. Both replace unsafe characters with a percent sign followed by two hexadecimal digits.

Examples

Encode Query Parameters

Encode special characters in URL query parameters

https://example.com/search?q=hello%20world&category=food%26drink

Decode Encoded URL

Convert percent-encoded characters back to readable text

https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fpath%3Fname%3DJohn%20Doe

Encode Form Data

Prepare data for application/x-www-form-urlencoded submission

email=user%40example.com&message=Hello%2C%20how%20are%20you%3F

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