URL Encoder

URL encode and decode, privately in your browser

This free URL encoder and decoder percent-encodes text for safe use in links and query strings, and decodes encoded URLs back to readable text. It offers both component-level encoding for single values and full-URL encoding that preserves a URL's structure. Everything runs locally, so URLs containing tokens or personal data never leave your device.

No signup, no limits, no ads. Choose a mode, paste your input, and copy the result.

How to use it

1. Pick encode or decode. Encode makes text URL-safe; decode turns a percent-encoded string back into readable text.
2. Choose component or full URL. Component for a single query value or path part; full URL to encode an entire address.
3. Paste your input and read the output pane.
4. Copy the result or feed it back in to verify the round-trip.

Common use cases

• Building query strings. Safely encode a search term, filter, or email address into a URL parameter.
• Reading encoded links. Decode a long tracking or redirect URL to see where it actually points.
• OAuth and redirects. Encode a redirect_uri or state parameter so it survives being nested inside another URL.
• Debugging routing. Check whether a special character in a path is being encoded the way your server expects.
• Sharing links. Encode a URL with spaces or unicode so chat apps and emails do not mangle it.

Why URLs need encoding

A URL has a strict grammar. Characters like ?, &, #, /, and the space each carry meaning, so when a value you want to include happens to contain them, the URL can break or be misread. Percent-encoding replaces each unsafe byte with a % followed by its hex code, so the value travels as inert data and is reassembled exactly on the other side. Component mode is the safe default for individual values; full-URL mode is for encoding an entire address while keeping it functional.

Frequently asked questions

Does my input leave my browser?

No. Encoding and decoding run locally in JavaScript. Nothing you paste is sent anywhere, so URLs that contain tokens, session ids, or personal data stay on your device.

What is the difference between component and full URL mode?

Component mode uses encodeURIComponent, which escapes every reserved character including & = ? / and spaces. Use it for a single query parameter value or path segment. Full URL mode uses encodeURI, which leaves the characters that give a URL its structure (: / ? # & =) intact, so you can encode a whole URL without breaking it.

Why do spaces become %20 (or sometimes +)?

Percent-encoding represents a space as %20. The plus sign is an older convention specific to form submissions (application/x-www-form-urlencoded). This tool uses the standard %20, which is correct in URLs and accepted everywhere.

When do I actually need to encode a URL?

Any time you put user input, a search query, an email address, or a redirect target into a URL. Unencoded special characters can truncate the URL, break routing, or be interpreted as separators. Encoding makes the value safe to transport.

Why does decoding fail with a malformed sequence error?

A percent sign must be followed by two hex digits (for example %2F). If the input has a lone % or an invalid pair, the decoder cannot interpret it and reports the error rather than guessing.

Does it handle non-English characters?

Yes. Characters such as accents, Arabic, and CJK are encoded as their UTF-8 byte sequences in percent form, and decoded back to the original text. The round-trip is lossless.