URL Encoder Decoder
Encode special characters in URLs to percent-encoding, or decode them back to readable text — instantly in your browser.
How to Use the URL Encoder Decoder
- Paste or Type Your Text
Enter the URL or text string you want to encode or decode into the input field.
- Choose Encode or Decode
Click Encode URL to convert special characters to percent-encoding, or Decode URL to reverse the process.
- Choose Encoding Mode
Select Full Encode to encode all special characters, or Query String mode to preserve URL structural characters like slashes and colons.
- View the Result
The encoded or decoded output appears instantly in the result area below.
- Copy or Clear
Click Copy Result to copy the output to your clipboard, or click Clear to reset the tool.
Key Features
Two Encoding Modes
Full Encode (encodeURIComponent) for parameter values, and Query String (encodeURI) for full URL encoding — pick the right mode for your use case.
Encode & Decode
Both directions — convert plain text to percent-encoded format or decode percent-encoded URLs back to readable text with one click.
Unicode & Non-ASCII Support
Handles Hindi, Tamil, Arabic, Chinese, and other non-ASCII characters. Great for multilingual URLs and Internationalised Domain Names.
Malformed URL Detection
If your input contains invalid percent sequences, the tool alerts you rather than silently returning corrupted output.
100% Browser-Side
All encoding and decoding uses JavaScript's native functions — nothing is sent to any server at any point.
Length Comparison
See input and output character lengths side by side so you can understand exactly how much the encoding expands or shrinks your string.
How It Works — The Encoding Logic
URL encoding converts characters that are not safe to use in a URL into a representation that is universally understood by web servers and browsers. The mechanism is defined in RFC 3986.
The choice between the two modes depends on what you are encoding. If you are encoding a value that will go inside a query parameter — a search term, a product name, a form field value — use Full Encode. If you are encoding a complete URL that includes its structure (protocol, domain, path, query), use Query String mode to preserve the structural characters.
Common Percent-Encoded Characters Reference
| Character | Encoded | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Space | %20 | Most common encoding need |
| ! | %21 | Exclamation mark |
| # | %23 | Hash / fragment identifier |
| $ | %24 | Dollar sign |
| & | %26 | Ampersand — separates query params |
| + | %2B | Plus sign (form-encoded space alternative) |
| / | %2F | Forward slash — path separator |
| : | %3A | Colon — protocol separator |
| = | %3D | Equals — key-value separator |
| ? | %3F | Question mark — query start |
| @ | %40 | At sign |
| ₹ | %E2%82%B9 | Indian Rupee symbol (3-byte UTF-8) |
Practical Examples
Rahul builds e-commerce search pages. When a user searches for "साड़ी ₹500 से कम" the query string needs to be URL-encoded before being appended to the fetch request URL.
Input: साड़ी ₹500 से कम
Encoded (Full): %E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%BC%E0%A5%80%20%E2%82%B9500%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%AE
Priya receives a tracking URL from a campaign platform that contains percent-encoded parameters. She needs to read the destination URL clearly to verify the campaign setup is correct.
Encoded input: https://storedropship.in/?utm_source=email&utm_content=offer%3A50%25%20off%20today
Decoded: utm_content=offer:50% off today
James is building a REST API endpoint that accepts address data as a query parameter. The address contains commas, hash symbols, and spaces that must be encoded before being sent via GET request.
Input: 123 Baker St, London #2B
Full Encoded: 123%20Baker%20St%2C%20London%20%232B
Anjali is auditing a client's website and finds canonicalised URLs with percent-encoded characters. She needs to decode them in bulk to understand what pages the encoded URLs represent.
Encoded: https://example.in/category/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95/
Decoded path: /category/পোশাক/
What Is URL Encoding and Why Does It Matter?
URLs can only contain a limited set of characters from the ASCII character set. Characters outside this safe set — spaces, non-English letters, punctuation marks, emoji — must be converted to a format that is safe for transmission over the internet. This conversion is called URL encoding, or percent-encoding (defined in RFC 3986).
The mechanism is straightforward: each unsafe character is replaced by a percent sign followed by two uppercase hexadecimal digits representing the character's byte value. A space (ASCII 32) becomes %20. The Indian Rupee symbol ₹ (Unicode U+20B9, encoded as three UTF-8 bytes E2, 82, B9) becomes %E2%82%B9. Characters that require multiple UTF-8 bytes produce multiple percent-encoded triplets.
URL encoding matters in every context where URLs are constructed programmatically — API requests, search queries, form submissions, redirect URLs, campaign tracking parameters, and canonical tags. An unencoded special character in a URL can silently break the request, produce incorrect search results, or cause security vulnerabilities like open redirect attacks. Getting URL encoding right is fundamental to any web development or digital marketing workflow.
URL Encoder Decoder in Multiple Languages
📖 Want a complete guide to URL encoding, percent-encoding rules, and real-world use cases? Read our blog post.
Read the Blog Post →Frequently Asked Questions
Is this URL encoder decoder free to use?
What is URL encoding?
What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
What does the Full Encode mode do?
What does the Query String mode do?
Why does a space become %20 or +?
Can I decode a malformed or partially encoded URL?
Is my data sent to any server?
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