How to use the url encoder & decoder
- Paste text or a URL in the left box and click Encode.
- To decode, paste an encoded string in the right box and click Decode.
- Choose full URL mode when you want to keep characters like : / ? and &.
Why encode URLs?
URLs can only contain a limited set of characters. Spaces, accents, symbols and many punctuation marks must be written as a percent sign followed by two hex digits: a space becomes %20 and "é" becomes %C3%A9. Encoding a value before placing it in a query string stops special characters from breaking the URL.
- Encode a value escapes everything that is not a letter, digit or - _ . ~ and is right for a single query parameter.
- Encode a full URL leaves the structural characters alone and only escapes the rest.
Frequently asked questions
How do I encode a URL?
Paste it in the left box, choose the mode and click Encode.
What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI keeps characters that are part of URL structure (: / ? # &). encodeURIComponent escapes them too, so use it for individual values.
Why does a space become %20 or +?
In URLs a space is written %20. In HTML form data it can be written as +. The decoder understands both.
Does it handle non-English characters?
Yes. Unicode text is encoded as UTF-8 percent sequences.