A search query
café & bar → caf%C3%A9%20%26%20bar
URL Encoder & Decoder
Percent-encode text for URLs and query strings, or decode %20-style encoded text back to readable text.
The style HTML forms use (application/x-www-form-urlencoded)
Runs in your browser — nothing you enter is sent to a server.
How the URL Encoder & Decoder works
URLs may contain only a limited set of characters. Everything else — spaces, accented letters, emoji and characters with a special meaning in URLs like & and = — is written as a % followed by two hexadecimal digits for each byte of its UTF-8 encoding. A space becomes %20 and é becomes %C3%A9.
Encode a value uses encodeURIComponent: use it for a single query parameter or path part, because it also encodes / ? & =. Encode a whole URL uses encodeURI, which leaves those characters alone so the link keeps working. Everything runs in your browser.
Examples
A whole link
https://example.com/a b?q=café → https://example.com/a%20b?q=caf%C3%A9
Decoding form data
With Treat + as a space: hello+world%21 → hello world!
Frequently asked questions
Should a space be %20 or +?
Both mean a space in query strings submitted by HTML forms, but only %20 works everywhere in a URL, including paths. Use %20 unless a system asks for +.
Why does decoding fail with “invalid percent-encoding”?
A % must be followed by two hexadecimal digits. Text like “100% sure” wasn't encoded; its literal % should have been written as %25.
Is URL encoding the same as encryption?
No. Anyone can decode it; it only makes text safe to put in a URL. Don't put passwords or secrets in URLs, encoded or not.
Related tools
Base64 Encoder & Decoder
Encode text to Base64 or decode Base64 to text, with full Unicode support and URL-safe output.
Developer Tools
JSON Formatter
Format, validate and minify JSON, with the exact line and column of any error.
Developer Tools
Unix Timestamp Converter
Convert Unix timestamps to dates in UTC and your time zone, and dates back to timestamps.
Developer Tools
Also in Tools for Website Owners.