Developer Tools
URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode special characters for safe use in URLs or decode percent-encoded strings back to readable text.
1 line • 48 chars
Paste URL text or percent-encoded text, keep line numbers visible, and run encode or decode without leaving fullscreen mode.
Quick examples
Encoded output
https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dhello%20world%26lang%3Den
Usage notes
- URL encoding replaces unsafe characters with %XX hex codes (e.g., space → %20).
- Use encode when building query parameters with special characters.
- Use decode to make percent-encoded URLs human-readable.
How to Use This Tool
- 1Paste a URL or text into the input box.
- 2Click 'Encode' to percent-encode special characters, or 'Decode' to reverse.
- 3Copy the result from the output.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is URL encoding?
- URL encoding (percent encoding) replaces characters not allowed in URLs with a % sign followed by two hex digits. For example, a space becomes %20.
- When should I URL-encode?
- Whenever a query string parameter might contain spaces, &, =, #, or non-ASCII characters. Browsers do this automatically for the address bar, but APIs and manual URL building require it.
- What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
- This tool uses encodeURIComponent which encodes all special characters. encodeURI leaves characters like :, /, ? intact because they have special meaning in a full URL.