URL Encoder Decoder
Encode and decode URLs, query strings, and percent-encoded text instantly with our free URL encoder decoder. Supports three encoding modes - encodeURIComponent for query values, encodeURI for full URLs, and form-encoding for HTML form data. Includes a built-in character reference table. No signup required.
Paste any text, URL, or query string and click Encode to get the percent-encoded output. Choose between encodeURIComponent (query values), encodeURI (full URLs), or form-encoding (spaces β +). All encoding runs locally in your browser.
| Character | encodeURIComponent | encodeURI | Form-encoded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space | %20 | %20 | + |
| / | %2F | / | %2F |
| ? | %3F | ? | %3F |
| # | %23 | # | %23 |
| & | %26 | & | %26 |
| = | %3D | = | %3D |
| + | %2B | + | %2B |
| @ | %40 | @ | %40 |
| : | %3A | : | %3A |
Why Use Our URL Encoder Decoder?
Instant URL Encoding & Decoding
Our URL encoder decoder processes your text instantly in the browser with zero wait time. Encode query parameters, path segments, and full URLs or decode any percent-encoded string back to readable text in one click.
Three Encoding Modes
Choose the right encoding for your use case: encodeURIComponent for query values and path segments, encodeURI for full URLs that preserve structural characters, or form-encoding (application/x-www-form-urlencoded) where spaces become + signs.
Secure URL Encoder Decoder Online
All URL encoding and decoding happens locally in your browser. Your URLs, query strings, and text data never leave your device, ensuring 100% privacy when you use our URL encoder decoder online.
URL Encoder Decoder Online - No Installation
Use our free URL encoder decoder directly in your browser with no downloads, no plugins, and no account required. Encode and decode URLs from any device, anytime, with a built-in character reference table.
Common Use Cases for URL Encoder Decoder
API Query String Building
Encode query parameter values before appending them to API endpoints. Use our URL encoder decoder to safely encode user input, search terms, and filter values so they do not break URL structure or cause unexpected API behaviour.
Web Development & Debugging
Decode percent-encoded URLs from browser address bars, server logs, and network requests to read them in plain text. Our URL encoder decoder helps developers quickly inspect and debug encoded query strings and path segments.
Form Data Encoding
Encode form field values using application/x-www-form-urlencoded format before submitting POST requests. Our URL encoder decoder supports form-encoding mode where spaces become + signs, matching the standard HTML form submission format.
SEO & URL Slug Preparation
Encode special characters in URL slugs and canonical URLs to ensure they are valid and indexable by search engines. Use our URL encoder decoder to prepare clean, properly encoded URLs for sitemaps and canonical tags.
Email & Redirect Link Generation
Encode redirect URLs and callback parameters that are embedded inside other URLs. Our URL encoder decoder ensures nested URLs are properly percent-encoded so they survive transport through email clients, redirects, and OAuth flows.
Internationalized URL Handling
Encode non-ASCII characters, Unicode text, and international domain name components for use in URLs. Our URL encoder decoder converts characters like Γ©, ΓΌ, δΈζ, and emoji to their correct percent-encoded UTF-8 byte sequences.
Understanding URL Encoding and Decoding
What is URL Encoding?
URL encoding, also called percent-encoding, is the process of converting characters that are not allowed or have special meaning in a URL into a safe format. Each unsafe character is replaced by a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digitsrepresenting the character's UTF-8 byte value - for example, a space becomes %20 and / becomes %2F. URL encoding is defined in RFC 3986 and is essential for transmitting data safely in URLs, query strings, and HTTP requests.
How Our URL Encoder Decoder Works
- Enter Your Text or URL: Paste any plain text, URL, query string, or percent-encoded string into the input panel. You can also click any quick example to load it instantly.
- Choose Encoding Type and Mode: Select Encode or Decode, then choose the encoding type - encodeURIComponent for query values, encodeURI for full URLs, or form-encoding for HTML form data. The character reference table highlights how each mode handles special characters.
- Copy or Download Output:Click Encode URL or Decode URL to process your input instantly in your browser. Copy the result to clipboard or download it as a text file. Use "Use Output as Input" to chain encode/decode operations.
The Three Encoding Modes Explained
- encodeURIComponent: Encodes everything except
A-Z a-z 0-9 - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ). Use this for individual query parameter values and path segments - it encodes/,?,&, and=which would otherwise break URL structure. - encodeURI: Preserves all characters that have structural meaning in a URL (
:/?#[]@!$&'()*+,;=). Use this when encoding a complete URL where you want to keep the URL structure intact but encode non-ASCII characters. - Form-encoded (application/x-www-form-urlencoded): Like encodeURIComponent but replaces spaces with
+instead of%20. This is the format used by HTML forms when submitting POST requests and by many legacy APIs.
Important Notes on URL Encoding
URL encoding is not encryption - encoded URLs are trivially decoded by anyone. Do not use URL encoding to hide sensitive data. For security, use HTTPS to encrypt data in transit. Also note that double-encoding (encoding an already-encoded string) is a common mistake - if your URL contains %2520 instead of %20, the %25is an encoded percent sign, meaning the string was encoded twice. Use the "Use Output as Input" button to decode step by step.
Related Tools
RSA/ECDSA Key Generator
Generate cryptographically secure RSA and ECDSA public/private key pairs using the Web Crypto API - Free online key generator
Cryptographically Secure Password Generator
Generate high-entropy passwords with browser cryptographic randomness and policy controls - Free secure password generator
UUID / GUID Batch Generator
Generate batches of up to 10,000 cryptographically secure UUID v4 (random) or UUID v7 (time-ordered) identifiers in your browser - Free online UUID generator
AES File Encryptor/Decryptor
Encrypt and decrypt files locally using AES-256-GCM with PBKDF2 passphrase-based key derivation - Free online AES file encryptor
Frequently Asked Questions About URL Encoder Decoder
A URL encoder decoder is a tool that converts text and URLs to and from percent-encoded format. Encoding replaces unsafe characters with %XX sequences (e.g. space β %20), while decoding reverses the process. Our URL encoder decoder runs entirely in your browser using the standard JavaScript encodeURIComponent, encodeURI, and decodeURIComponent functions.
encodeURIComponent encodes all characters except A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ), making it safe for individual query parameter values and path segments. encodeURI preserves characters that have structural meaning in a URL such as :/?#[]@!$&'()*+,;= and is intended for encoding a complete URL while keeping its structure intact.
Use form-encoding when submitting HTML form data via POST requests or when working with APIs that expect the application/x-www-form-urlencoded content type. The key difference from encodeURIComponent is that spaces are encoded as + instead of %20. Most legacy APIs and HTML forms use this format.
If you see %25 in your decoded output, the original string was double-encoded. The percent sign % itself is encoded as %25, so %2520 decodes to %20 (not a space). Use the "Use Output as Input" button to decode the result a second time to get the fully decoded text.
Yes. Our URL encoder decoder fully supports Unicode characters. Non-ASCII characters are first converted to their UTF-8 byte sequences and then each byte is percent-encoded. For example, the Chinese character δΈ encodes to %E4%B8%AD and the emoji π encodes to %F0%9F%8C%8D.
Absolutely. All URL encoding and decoding happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your URLs, query strings, and text data are never sent to any server. Your data stays completely private on your device every time you use our URL encoder decoder online.
Yes! Our URL encoder decoder is 100% free with no signup, no account, and no usage limits. Encode and decode URLs as many times as you need - completely free, forever.
Yes. Select the "Form-encoded" decoding mode and our URL encoder decoder will treat + signs as spaces before applying percent-decoding. This correctly handles application/x-www-form-urlencoded strings from HTML forms and legacy APIs.
The unreserved characters defined in RFC 3986 are always safe without encoding: uppercase and lowercase letters (A-Z, a-z), digits (0-9), and the four symbols hyphen (-), underscore (_), period (.), and tilde (~). All other characters should be percent-encoded when used in query parameter values or path segments.