URL Encoder / Decoder

URLs can only safely carry a limited set of characters. Spaces, ampersands, question marks, and non-English letters all need to be percent-encoded — like %20 representing a space — before they can be reliably passed as part of a query string or link. Skip this step, and a link can break, or an API silently drops part of the submitted data at the first special character it hits.

This tool encodes plain text into its percent-encoded, URL-safe form, or decodes an already-encoded URL back into readable text, so you can inspect exactly what data a link is actually carrying.

Both directions run using the browser's built-in encoding functions, so results are instant and match exactly how a real browser or server would interpret the same string.

The specific set of 'reserved' characters that need encoding in a URL — like &, ?, #, and space — are reserved precisely because they already have a structural meaning within a URL itself: & separates query parameters, ? starts the query string, and # marks a page fragment. Encoding a literal instance of one of these characters within a value prevents it from being misread as that structural marker.

This is exactly why a search term containing an ampersand, like 'salt & pepper', breaks a naively constructed URL if not encoded first — the server or browser reads the & as starting a new parameter rather than as part of your intended search text.

It's also worth knowing that some characters are technically allowed unencoded in a URL but are still commonly encoded anyway for safety and consistency across different systems that may interpret the URL spec slightly differently — when in doubt, encoding a character that didn't strictly need it rarely causes a problem, while failing to encode one that did can silently break a link.

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Choose encode or decode

   Select whether you're encoding plain text or decoding an existing URL-encoded string.

2. 2

   Paste your input

   Enter the text or the encoded URL fragment.

3. 3

   Review the output

   The converted result updates instantly.

4. 4

   Copy the result

   Copy the encoded or decoded text for use elsewhere.

Common use cases

Tips for best results

• Encode any value you insert into a query string or URL path that might contain spaces, symbols, or non-ASCII characters.
• %20 and + both represent a space, but in different encoding contexts — know which one your target system expects.
• Decode a suspicious link before clicking it if you want to verify its actual destination or parameters first.
• Double-encoding (encoding an already-encoded string) is a common mistake — check your input isn't already encoded first.
• Any reserved character with structural meaning in URLs — &, ?, #, / — needs encoding when it appears as part of a value rather than as the URL's actual structure.
• When building URLs programmatically, use your language's built-in URL encoding function rather than manual string replacement to avoid missing an edge case.

Frequently asked questions

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