About the URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode text for safe use in URLs and query strings (percent-encoding), or decode encoded URLs back into readable text. Choose component, full-URL or form (+ for spaces) encoding.
Key features
- Percent-encode text for query strings and URL paths
- Encode a full URL while keeping : / ? & = intact
- Form encoding with + for spaces
- Decode %XX sequences and + back to text
- Full UTF-8 support for accents and emoji
- Clear error for broken encodings
Make text safe for URLs
URLs can only contain a limited set of characters. Spaces, accents, &, ?, # and other symbols in a value must be percent-encoded, or they break the URL or change its meaning.
Encoding modes compared
Input: café & crème/2026?
| Mode | Output | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Component | caf%C3%A9%20%26%20cr%C3%A8me%2F2026%3F | Query parameter values, path segments |
| Full URL | caf%C3%A9%20&%20cr%C3%A8me/2026? | Whole URLs (keeps / ? & =) |
| Form | caf%C3%A9+%26+cr%C3%A8me%2F2026%3F | HTML form bodies |
Characters and their codes
| Character | Encoded |
|---|---|
| Space | %20 (or + in forms) |
& | %26 |
= | %3D |
? | %3F |
/ | %2F |
# | %23 |
% | %25 |
+ | %2B |
é | %C3%A9 |
Unreserved characters, A–Z a–z 0–9 - _ . ~, never need encoding.
Common mistakes
- Encoding the whole URL as a component:
https://becomeshttps%3A%2F%2Fand stops working as a link. - Not encoding
&in a value:?q=salt & peppersplits into two parameters. - Double encoding:
%20becomes%2520. Decode first if you're not sure.
Related tools
Encode values inside JSON with JSON URL Encode, or make clean URLs with the Slug Generator.
How to use the URL Encoder / Decoder
- Type or paste your text into the input box.
- Choose the options you want.
- The result updates instantly as you type.
- Copy the output or download it as a .txt file.