URL Encoder / Decoder
Last updated: June 10, 2026Percent-encode and decode URLs.
URL Encoder / Decoder is a free online tool to percent-encode and decode URLs. It runs entirely in your browser, so your files never leave your device — nothing is uploaded. There's no sign-up, no watermark, and it works on any modern browser on desktop or mobile.
How to use URL Encoder / Decoder
The URL Encoder / Decoder percent-encodes text for safe use in URLs, or decodes encoded strings back to readable text. It handles full Unicode and is ideal for query strings, links and API parameters. Free and runs entirely in your browser.
Read the full guide: URL Encoder / Decoder Online (Free, In-Browser)
- 1Choose Encode or Decode.
- 2Paste your text or encoded URL.
- 3Copy the result.
Both directions
Encode for URLs or decode back to plain text in one place.
Unicode-safe
Handles spaces, symbols and non-Latin characters correctly.
Free & private
Runs on your device with no sign-up.
Encode a query string parameter
Building a link by hand? A value like search?q=hello world&lang=fr breaks unless the value is percent-encoded. Switch to Encode, paste a single parameter value, and spaces become %20 while &, =, ? and / become their percent-codes too. This uses encodeURIComponent, so paste each value separately rather than a whole URL with its own delimiters.
Decode a %20 URL into readable text
Copied a link from a server log, redirect chain, or browser address bar that is full of %20, %3A and %2F? Choose Decode, paste it in, and get the original human-readable URL or text back instantly. If a stray % or broken percent-sequence makes the string invalid, the tool flags it so you can fix the malformed part and decode again.
Percent-encode accented or non-Latin characters
URLs only allow ASCII, so café, naïve, or Cyrillic, Arabic and CJK text must be percent-encoded as UTF-8 byte sequences before they are safe in a link or API parameter. Paste the original characters into Encode to get the correct multi-byte percent-codes, or paste those codes into Decode to recover the exact Unicode text without any character corruption.
URL Encoder / Decoder — frequently asked questions
What does URL encoding do?
It replaces characters that aren't URL-safe (like spaces and &) with percent-codes (%20, %26) so links and query strings work correctly.
What's the difference from encodeURI?
This uses encodeURIComponent, which encodes more characters (including & = ? /) — the right choice for individual query-string values.
Why does decoding fail sometimes?
Malformed percent-sequences (a lone % or invalid code) can't be decoded. Fix the input and try again.
Is it free?
Yes, completely free.
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