URL Encode and Decode Online: Percent-Encoding Tool

Use this tool to URL decode or encode text in one click. Decode turns %20, %3A and other percent-encoded characters back into readable text; encode makes text safe to put in a web address or query string. Paste a full link to see its protocol, domain, path and every query parameter in a table.

Quick answer: Paste an encoded link and click Decode to read it: caf%C3%A9%20near%20me becomes “café near me”. Click Encode (component) to make any text safe to put after ?q= in a URL.

How to URL decode and encode

• Decode converts every %XX sequence back into its character, including multi-byte UTF-8 characters like é, ₹ and emoji. Tick the + option for form data, where spaces are sent as +.
• Encode (component) uses encodeURIComponent. Use it for a single value, such as a search term, an email address or a redirect URL that goes inside another URL.
• Encode (full URL) uses encodeURI. Use it for a whole address that contains spaces or non-English letters, while keeping its structure.

After decoding or encoding a full link, the table shows its parts, which is handy for reading long tracking links and checking UTM parameters.

What is URL encoding?

URLs may only contain a limited set of ASCII characters. Anything else, and characters that have a special meaning in URLs, must be percent-encoded: written as % followed by two hexadecimal digits for each byte. The rules come from RFC 3986. A space becomes %20, and é, which is two bytes in UTF-8, becomes %C3%A9.

Common percent-encoded characters

The ampersand, which separates query parameters, is encoded as %26.

When you need URL encoding

• Building links with search terms, names or addresses in the query string.
• Passing one URL inside another, such as a return or redirect link.
• Reading tracking links from emails and ads to see where they really go.
• Debugging APIs and webhooks that send form-encoded data.

URL encoding in code

• JavaScript: encodeURIComponent(s) and decodeURIComponent(s)
• Python: urllib.parse.quote(s) and unquote(s)
• PHP: rawurlencode() and rawurldecode()
• Excel: =ENCODEURL(A1)

For other encodings, try our Base64 encoder and decoder or the binary translator.

FAQ

What does %20 mean in a URL?

It is an encoded space.

Why does decoding show strange characters?

The text may have been encoded twice. Click Decode again on the result.

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