URL Encode / Decode
Encode or decode URL components and query strings online. Handles percent-encoding instantly in your browser. Free, no sign-up.
How to Use
- Select Encode or Decode mode.
- Paste your text or URL into the input box.
- Click the action button.
- Use Copy to copy the result, or Swap to reverse the operation.
When to Use URL Encoding
Browsers and servers communicate via URLs, which only allow a specific set of characters.
Anything outside that set — spaces, Unicode characters, operators like & and = —
must be percent-encoded before being included in a URL.
Common scenarios: passing query parameters with special characters, constructing redirect URLs, encoding form data, building REST API calls with dynamic values.
FAQ
What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (percent-encoding) converts characters that are not allowed in URLs into a '%' followed by two hex digits. For example, a space becomes %20 and '&' becomes %26.
What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI encodes an entire URL and skips characters like '/', '?', and '#'. encodeURIComponent encodes a single component (like a query value) and encodes those characters too. This tool uses encodeURIComponent.
Is my data sent to any server?
No. All processing runs in your browser using JavaScript's built-in encodeURIComponent/decodeURIComponent functions.
When do I need URL encoding?
When you pass special characters in query strings, form data, or path segments — spaces, ampersands, equals signs, and non-ASCII characters all need encoding.