URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode or decode URLs and query strings.
URLs can only contain a limited character set — everything else becomes %XX sequences.
How to use
- Paste a URL or encoded string.
- Click Encode or Decode — the result appears below.
- Copy with one click.
About this tool
Encoding is essential for query parameters with spaces, Unicode or special characters.
All processing is local to your browser.
How it works
URLs may only contain a limited ASCII set. Everything else — spaces, non-Latin scripts, and reserved characters like ? & = # when used as data — must be percent-encoded: each UTF-8 byte becomes % followed by two hex digits. A space becomes %20; the character 中 (three UTF-8 bytes E4 B8 AD) becomes %E4%B8%AD.
The reserved characters : / ? # [ ] @ ! $ & ' ( ) * + , ; = carry structural meaning in a URL. Encoding them as data (%3F for ?, %26 for &) tells the parser 'this is content, not syntax'.
In application/x-www-form-urlencoded bodies (plain HTML forms), spaces are written as + instead of %20 — a quirk of that format only. Everywhere else in a URL, %20 is correct.
Worked examples
A search query with special characters: Searching for 'fish & chips' needs q=fish%20%26%20chips. Left unencoded, the & would split your query into two separate parameters.
Reading a shared link: Paste https://example.com/?name=%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87 to decode it back to readable Chinese characters before forwarding the link.
Quick reference
| Character | Encoded | Character | Encoded |
|---|---|---|---|
| (space) | %20 | & | %26 |
| ? | %3F | = | %3D |
| # | %23 | % | %25 |
| + | %2B | / | %2F |
Frequently asked questions
What is percent-encoding?
Representing unsafe characters as % followed by hex, e.g. space → %20.
Does it handle Chinese characters?
Yes — full Unicode is encoded as UTF-8 byte sequences.
Is my URL uploaded?
No — 100% local.
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