URL Encoder & Decoder
Encode special characters in URLs and decode percent-encoded strings.
How to Use This Tool
- Select "Encode" to percent-encode special characters in a URL.
- Select "Decode" to convert percent-encoded sequences back to readable characters.
- Paste or type your URL or text in the input area.
- The output updates automatically. Copy it using the "Copy Output" button.
How It Works
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) replaces characters that are not allowed in URLs with a % sign followed by two hexadecimal digits. For example, a space becomes %20. This tool uses the JavaScript encodeURIComponent() and decodeURIComponent() functions, which handle the complete Unicode character set correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I need to URL-encode text?
You need URL encoding when passing text as a query parameter, embedding a URL inside another URL, or constructing API request URLs that contain special characters like &, =, spaces, or non-ASCII characters.
What characters are encoded?
encodeURIComponent() encodes everything except letters, digits, and the characters - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ). Safe URL characters like / ? & = # are also encoded.
Is this the same as HTML encoding?
No. URL encoding replaces characters with %XX sequences. HTML encoding replaces special characters with HTML entities like & or <. They serve different purposes.