URL Encoder/Decoder

A search query with spaces and special characters needs to be safely embedded in a URL, or a URL parameter arrives with characters like %20 and %2F that need to be read as plain text — this tool converts text to and from URL-safe encoding in either direction.

Why URL encoding is necessary

URLs can only reliably contain a limited set of characters; spaces, ampersands, question marks, and many symbols have special meaning within a URL's structure or aren't allowed directly. URL encoding replaces those characters with a percent sign followed by their hexadecimal code (a space becomes %20, for example), so the resulting string can be safely used as a URL or query parameter without breaking the URL's structure or being misinterpreted.

Common situations for URL encoding/decoding

Building a search query URL by hand that includes spaces or special characters, like turning "web design tips" into a properly encoded query parameter. Decoding a long URL parameter from a browser address bar or server log to read what it actually contains in plain text. Preparing a piece of text (like a message or a filename) to be safely passed as a value in a URL without it breaking other parts of the link. Debugging a redirect or webhook URL where the encoded parameters need to be checked for correctness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between this and Base64 encoding? URL encoding specifically replaces characters that aren't safe within a URL (like spaces and symbols) using percent-codes, while Base64 encodes any data into a completely different character set — they serve different purposes and aren't interchangeable.

Why do some characters stay the same after encoding? Letters, numbers, and a small set of characters already considered URL-safe (like hyphens and underscores) are left unchanged, since only characters with special meaning or that are disallowed in URLs need to be encoded.

Is my text uploaded anywhere? No — encoding and decoding happen entirely in your browser using built-in JavaScript functions; nothing is sent to a server.