URL Encoder/Decoder
Encode and decode URLs and URL components with full Unicode support
quick_reference Common URL Encoded Characters
About the URL Encoder/Decoder
Encode and decode URLs instantly with our free online tool. URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts special characters into a format that can be safely transmitted in URLs. All processing happens in your browser — your data never leaves your device.
What is URL Encoding?
URL encoding is a mechanism for translating unprintable characters or characters with special meaning within URLs to a representation that is unambiguous and universally accepted. It replaces unsafe ASCII characters with a "%" followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the character's ASCII code. For example, a space is encoded as %20 or +.
Key Features
- Standard URL Encoding — Encode text using encodeURI() which preserves URL structure characters
- Component Encoding — Strict encoding with encodeURIComponent() that encodes all special characters
- Space Handling — Choose between %20 or + for space encoding
- URL Analyzer — Parse and inspect full URLs into their components
- Query Parameter Extraction — View all query parameters with decoded values
- Full Unicode Support — Correctly handles UTF-8 characters including emojis
When to Use Which Encoding
- encodeURI() — Use when encoding a complete URL. Preserves characters that have special meaning in URLs like
:,/,?,&,=,# - encodeURIComponent() — Use when encoding a URL component like a query parameter value. Encodes ALL special characters including
/,?,&,=
Common Use Cases
- Query Parameters — Encoding user input for use in URL query strings
- API Requests — Building URLs for API calls with special characters
- Form Data — application/x-www-form-urlencoded form submissions
- Debugging — Decoding URLs from logs or analytics to see the original text
- Sharing Links — Creating safe URLs that can be shared across different systems
- File Paths — Encoding file paths with spaces or special characters for web use
Reserved vs Unreserved Characters
Unreserved characters (never need encoding): A-Z, a-z, 0-9, - _ . ~
Reserved characters (have special meaning in URLs): ! # $ & ' ( ) * + , / : ; = ? @ [ ]
Reserved characters must be encoded when used in a context where they could be misinterpreted. For example, a & in a query parameter value must be encoded as %26 to avoid being interpreted as a parameter separator.
UTF-8 and International Characters
Modern URL encoding uses UTF-8 to handle international characters. Each character is first converted to its UTF-8 byte sequence, then each byte is percent-encoded. For example, the emoji 👍 becomes %F0%9F%91%8D (four bytes in UTF-8, each percent-encoded).
Privacy & Security
URL encoding is not encryption — anyone can decode URL-encoded text. Never rely on URL encoding to protect sensitive information. All processing in this tool happens locally in your browser; your data is never sent to any server.