URL Encoder Decoder

URL Encode & Decode Online Tool

Use this tool to encode text so it works safely inside links, or url decode online when you want to read and clean up encoded URLs. It supports normal text, symbols, and international characters.

How to Use the Tool

• Paste your text (or an encoded URL part) into the box
• Choose Encode or Decode
• Click Generate to get the result

Tip: If a link looks messy and full of % signs, decode it first. If you’re adding text into a URL, encode it.

What Is URL Encoding?

URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) changes unsafe characters into a safe code format, like:

%HH (HH is a two-digit code)

This keeps your links readable for systems and helps prevent errors when sharing or opening URLs.

How URL Encoding Works

URL encoding usually follows two steps:

• Your text is converted into UTF-8.
• Characters that are not safe in a URL are replaced with % codes.

Example

Text: François

Encoded: Fran%C3%A7ois

The letter ç becomes %C3%A7 because UTF-8 stores it as two bytes.

Which Characters Are Allowed in a URL?

URLs mainly use two types of characters:

Unreserved Characters 

You can use these without encoding:

• Letters: A–Z, a–z
• Numbers: 0–9
• Symbols: - _. ~

Reserved Characters (Encode When Needed)

These can change the meaning of a URL, so encode them if they are part of your text:

! * ' ( ) ; : @ & = + $ , / ? % # [ ]

URL Decoding (Make It Readable Again)

Decoding does the opposite. It turns codes like %20 back into spaces and restores special characters. This is helpful when you receive encoded URLs in emails, reports, or tracking links and want to understand what they say.

When Should You Encode or Decode?

Use Encode When:

• You’re adding text into a URL (search terms, names, titles)
• You’re building API links or query strings.
• Your text has spaces or special characters.

Use Decode When:

• You want to read a URL that contains % codes.
• A copied link looks broken or hard to understand
• You need to edit values and re-use them using url decode online.

Common Tips

• Avoid double encoding: %20 encoded again becomes %2520
• Encode values, not full URLs: usually only encode the part after ?key=
• Spaces may appear as +: in form-style encoding (application/x-www-form-urlencoded), spaces can be sent as + instead of %20