100% Private & Secure

URL Encoder
/ Decoder

Encode and decode URLs instantly in your browser. Supports multiple encoding modes, URL component parsing, and double-encoded detection — all processing happens client-side.

Encode & decode URLsParse URL componentsMultiple encoding modesNo upload required

 

Overview

What Is URL Encoding?

URL encoding, formally known as percent-encoding, is a mechanism for representing characters in a URI that are not allowed or have special meaning. Reserved characters like &, =, ?, and # are replaced with a percent sign followed by two hexadecimal digits (e.g., %26 for &). Non-ASCII characters are first encoded as UTF-8 bytes and then each byte is percent-encoded.

Our URL Encoder / Decoder handles both directions instantly in your browser. Paste a URL or any text, choose an encoding mode, and get the result as you type — no sign-up, no server upload, no data collection.

The tool offers three encoding strategies: encodeURIComponent for full encoding of individual values, encodeURI for encoding a complete URL while preserving its structure, and a Custom mode that lets you pick exactly which characters to encode via checkboxes.

The decoder auto-detects double-encoded URLs and offers a one-click fix. When the input looks like a URL, a built-in parser breaks it down into protocol, host, port, path, query parameters (with decoded values), and fragment — everything runs on your device.

Features

Discover Features

Multiple encoding modes, URL parsing, double-encoding detection, and complete privacy — all on your device

Bi-Directional Conversion

Switch between Encode and Decode with a single tab click. Both directions process input in real time with debounced live output, so you see results as you type.

Three Encoding Modes

Choose encodeURIComponent for full encoding, encodeURI to preserve URL structure characters, or Custom mode to hand-pick exactly which characters get percent-encoded.

URL Component Parser

When the input looks like a URL, the tool automatically parses and displays protocol, host, port, path, query parameters (as a key-value table with decoded values), and fragment.

Double-Encoding Detection

The decoder automatically detects double-encoded URLs (e.g. %2520 instead of %20) and offers a one-click "Decode Again" button to peel off the extra layer of encoding.

Copy, Download & Swap

Copy results to the clipboard, download as a .txt file, or swap input and output to instantly reverse the operation — all with character and byte-size stats shown for both fields.

100% Private & Secure

All encoding and decoding happens entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server. Close the tab and nothing remains — safe for API keys, tokens, and sensitive query strings.

How to Use

Four steps: choose a mode, enter input, pick encoding, and copy or download

01
01

Choose Encode or Decode

Select the Encode tab to percent-encode text or a URL, or the Decode tab to convert a percent-encoded string back to readable text.

02
02

Enter Your Input

Type or paste your text, URL, or encoded string into the input area. The tool begins processing as you type with live, debounced output.

03
03

Pick an Encoding Mode

In Encode mode, choose encodeURIComponent (most common), encodeURI (preserves structure), or Custom to select specific characters. Decode mode auto-detects the encoding.

04
04

Copy or Download the Result

Copy the output to your clipboard, download it as a .txt file, or hit Swap to feed the result back as input in the opposite mode.

Use Cases

Common scenarios where URL encoding and decoding saves time and prevents bugs

Building Query Strings

Safely encode parameter values before appending them to URLs. Ensures special characters like &, =, and spaces don't break the query string structure.

Internationalised URLs

Encode non-ASCII characters (CJK, Arabic, emoji) for use in URLs. Percent-encoding guarantees safe transport through systems that only accept ASCII.

API & Webhook Debugging

Decode encoded URLs from server logs, webhook payloads, or redirect chains to quickly inspect the actual query parameters and path segments.

OAuth & Auth Redirects

Encode redirect_uri and state parameters for OAuth flows. Decode callback URLs to verify the parameters your identity provider returned.

SEO & Analytics Tags

Inspect and fix UTM parameters, campaign tags, and tracking URLs. Decode encoded tracking links to verify that campaign metadata is correct before launch.

Email & Form Submissions

Decode application/x-www-form-urlencoded data from HTML form submissions, email mailto links, or POST body payloads to read the original field values.

Compare Plans

Free vs Paid — URL Encoder

Get started free, upgrade when you need more power.

Feature
Free
Paid
Daily usage
5 uses/day
Unlimited
File size limit
10 MB
Up to 500 MB
All core features
No software installation
Works on any device
Files stay on your device
Batch processing
Priority support
Upgrade — starting at $4.99/mo
Upgrade to Full Version

Unlock the Full Power of URL Encoder

Remove daily limits, process larger files up to 500 MB, enable batch processing, and get priority support.

Buy Full Version — $4.99/moor $200 enterprise

Developer Tools includes:

  • 13 developer & utility tools
  • Unlimited daily uses
  • No file size limits
  • All output formats

Also available in the All Tools Bundle

FAQ

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the URL Encoder / Decoder

Q1. What is URL encoding (percent-encoding)?
URL encoding, also called percent-encoding, replaces unsafe or reserved characters in a URL with a percent sign followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the character's byte value. For example, a space becomes %20 and an ampersand becomes %26. This ensures the URL is valid and unambiguous across all systems.
Q2. What is the difference between encodeURIComponent and encodeURI?
encodeURIComponent encodes every character except A–Z, a–z, 0–9, and the four unreserved marks (- _ . ~). It is used for encoding individual values like query parameter values. encodeURI encodes a full URI but preserves URL structure characters like :, /, ?, #, @, and others, so the URL remains navigable.
Q3. Is my data safe?
Yes. All encoding and decoding runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing is sent to any server. Your data never leaves your device — close the tab and it is gone.
Q4. What is a double-encoded URL?
A double-encoded URL is one where the percent signs from a previous encoding pass have themselves been encoded. For example, %20 (a space) becomes %2520. This usually happens when a URL is encoded twice by mistake. The tool auto-detects this pattern and offers a 'Decode Again' button.
Q5. How does the Custom encoding mode work?
Custom mode lets you select exactly which special characters should be percent-encoded using checkboxes. Alphanumeric characters (A–Z, a–z, 0–9) and the unreserved marks (- _ . ~) are never encoded. Non-ASCII characters are always encoded. Only the checked special characters will be replaced with their percent-encoded equivalents.
Q6. How does the URL parser work?
When the input (in Encode mode) or the output (in Decode mode) looks like a URL, the tool uses the browser's built-in URL API to parse it into components: protocol, host, port, path, query parameters, and fragment. Query parameters are displayed in a table with both raw and decoded values.
Q7. Can I encode non-ASCII characters like emoji or CJK?
Yes. Non-ASCII characters are encoded as a series of percent-encoded UTF-8 bytes. For example, the emoji 😀 becomes %F0%9F%98%80. The decoder reverses this process to restore the original characters. All three encoding modes handle multi-byte Unicode correctly.
Q8. Why does the tool encode live as I type?
The tool uses a debounced live processing approach — it waits about 150 milliseconds after you stop typing before encoding or decoding. This gives you instant feedback without the need to click a button, while avoiding excessive processing on every keystroke.
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