URL Encoder & Decoder — Encode & Decode URLs Instantly
Encode or decode URL strings instantly. Handle percent-encoding, query parameters, and special characters. Free URL encoder/decoder for SEO and developers.
What is an URL Encoder/Decoder?
The URL Encoder/Decoder converts between plain-text strings and percent-encoded URL format in both directions. Paste a raw string containing spaces, special characters, or non-ASCII characters to encode it into a format safe for use in HTTP requests. Paste a percent-encoded string to decode it back into readable text. The tool handles full URLs, individual query parameter values, and path segments.
When Should You Use URL Encoder/Decoder?
Use this when constructing API requests that require encoded query strings, when debugging URLs where special characters are causing unexpected behaviour, when troubleshooting redirect rules where characters are being double-encoded, or when working with international URLs containing non-Latin characters. SEO practitioners encounter this most often with URLs containing query parameters that include ampersands, equals signs, or characters from non-English alphabets.
How to Read URL Encoder/Decoder Results
The encoded output replaces every character that is not URL-safe with its %XX hexadecimal equivalent — spaces become %20, ampersands become %26, and so on. The decoded output is the human-readable version of the same string. If a URL appears to be double-encoded (showing %2520 instead of %20, for example), decode it twice to arrive at the original string — the first decode reveals the intermediate encoded form, and the second produces the original value.
What Should You Know Before Using URL Encoder/Decoder?
Be precise about what you encode: running the encoder on a complete URL will encode the colon and slashes in the protocol (https://) and the forward slashes in the path, producing a broken URL. If you only need to encode a query parameter value, isolate that value and encode it alone before inserting it back into the full URL. For international domain names (IDN), the domain portion uses Punycode rather than percent-encoding — these are different schemes that apply to different parts of a URL and should not be confused.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (percent-encoding) converts characters that are not safe for use in a URL into a % followed by two hexadecimal digits. For example, a space becomes %20, an ampersand becomes %26, and a forward slash becomes %2F. It ensures URLs can be transmitted correctly over HTTP without ambiguity about where parameters begin and end.
When do I need to URL encode a string?
URL encode when you need to include special characters in a query parameter value — characters like &, =, +, #, and non-ASCII characters would otherwise be interpreted as URL syntax rather than literal content. Encode only the value of each parameter, not the full URL structure (the :// and / in the URL must remain unencoded to function correctly).
What is the difference between URL encoding and HTML encoding?
URL encoding uses % followed by hex digits (%20 for space) and is used in URLs and HTTP requests. HTML encoding uses named or numeric entities (& for &, < for <) and is used within HTML document content. They are different schemes for different contexts — a URL encoded string is not valid as HTML entity encoding and vice versa.
What causes double-encoding in URLs?
Double-encoding occurs when a URL is encoded twice — a space becomes %20, which is then encoded again to %2520. This happens when URL encoding is applied to an already-encoded string, or when middleware or CMS systems encode URLs that were already encoded upstream. To fix, decode the string twice: the first decode reveals %20, the second gives the original space.
How do I encode a URL with special characters in Python or JavaScript?
In JavaScript, use encodeURIComponent() to encode individual parameter values — it encodes all special characters except letters, digits, and - _ . ~. In Python, use urllib.parse.quote() for the same purpose. Never use encodeURI() in JavaScript or urllib.parse.quote(safe='/') on full URLs if you intend to encode the full string — they preserve characters that have syntactic meaning in URLs.