URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode text for safe use in URLs or decode percent-encoded strings back to readable text.
Make text safe to drop into a URL, or turn a percent-encoded string back into something readable. Choose component mode for individual query values or full-URL mode when you want to preserve the structure of a whole link.
Component vs full URL
Component encoding escapes characters like &, =, ?, and / because inside a single query value they would otherwise be read as structure. Use it for the value part of ?q=…. Full-URL encoding leaves those structural characters alone and only escapes clearly unsafe ones, so a complete link stays intact. When in doubt for a query parameter, use component mode.
Why URLs need encoding
URLs may only contain a limited set of characters. Spaces, non-Latin letters, and reserved symbols must be written as percent codes — a space becomes %20, for example. Encoding guarantees the link is transmitted and parsed exactly as intended, instead of breaking at the first special character.
Reserved characters and what they do
A handful of characters have structural jobs in a URL: ? starts the query string, & separates parameters, = ties a key to its value, / separates path segments, and # marks a fragment. Inside a value, any of these must be percent-encoded or the URL will be parsed wrongly — a search for "rock & roll" needs the ampersand escaped so it isn't read as a new parameter. Component mode escapes all of them; full-URL mode leaves them intact so a complete link keeps its structure.
What percent-encoding protects you from
URLs are allowed to contain only a limited set of characters. Spaces, ampersands, question marks, and non-English letters all have special meaning or no valid place in an address, so they must be converted into a safe form: a percent sign followed by two hex digits. A space becomes %20, an ampersand inside a value becomes %26, and an emoji expands into several bytes. Without this, a search query containing "&" would silently break the link, because the browser would read the ampersand as the start of a new parameter.
Encoding and decoding are exact inverses, which makes this tool useful in both directions. When you build a link by hand — say, pre-filling a support form or constructing an API call — encode any user-supplied value before dropping it into the query string. When you're debugging a URL someone sent you and it's littered with %20 and %3D, decode it to read the real parameters. One important distinction: the rules differ slightly between a full path and a single query value, so encode the pieces individually rather than running an entire finished URL through at once.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use component mode?
Use component mode for individual query-string values or path segments, where characters like & and = need to be escaped. Use full-URL mode when encoding an entire link whose structure should be preserved.
What does %20 mean?
It's the percent-encoding for a space. Percent codes let URLs carry characters that aren't allowed literally.
Why does my link break when it contains a space or ampersand?
Those characters have special meaning or aren't allowed literally in URLs. Encoding turns a space into %20 and an ampersand into %26 inside a value, so the link is parsed as you intended.
Is double-encoding a problem?
Yes. Encoding an already-encoded string turns % into %25, corrupting it. Encode once, and decode the same number of times you encoded.
Should I encode the whole URL or just parts of it?
Encode individual components — a single query value or path segment — not the entire finished URL. Encoding the whole thing would escape the slashes and colons that give the URL its structure.
Last updated: 2026-01-15