URL Encode / Decode
Encode text for use in a URL, or decode a percent-encoded URL.
Worth Knowing
URL encoding (percent-encoding) exists because URLs can only safely carry a limited set of ASCII characters — spaces, ampersands, question marks, and non-Latin text all have special meaning or aren't allowed, so they're replaced with %XX hex codes. A space becomes %20, for instance. This matters most in query strings, where an unencoded ampersand or equals sign would break the parameter parsing. There are two flavors — encoding a whole URL versus a single component — and using the wrong one can corrupt otherwise-valid links.
How to Use
- Choose your mode into the URL Encode / Decode above.
- Set any additional options: Text.
- The output updates instantly and is ready to copy.