URL Encoder and Decoder

Encode, decode and edit URLs safely

URLs may only contain a limited set of characters. Anything else, from spaces to emoji, has to be written as percent escapes such as %20. Getting this wrong is a classic source of broken links, failed API calls and double-encoded values. This tool encodes, decodes and edits URLs while showing you exactly what changes.

Encode and decode

Pick a direction and a mode.

• Component mode is for one piece of a URL, such as a query value or a path segment. It escapes characters like & = ? # / so they cannot be mistaken for URL structure.
• Full URL mode is for an entire address. It leaves the structural characters alone and only escapes unsafe ones such as spaces and non-ASCII letters.

When decoding query strings, switch on "Treat + as a space" because HTML forms use plus signs for spaces.

The query-string editor

Paste a full URL or just the part after the question mark. The tool breaks it into decoded keys and values you can edit in a table, add to or remove. As you type, the rebuilt URL below is correctly encoded and ready to copy. The path, host and fragment are kept as they were. This is the fastest way to tweak tracking parameters, test an API call or remove clutter from a long link.

Rules worth remembering

1. Encode values, not whole URLs, when building a query. Encode each value with component mode and join them with & and =.
2. Never encode twice. If you see %2520 the percent sign itself was encoded; decode once.
3. Reserved characters : / ? # [ ] @ ! $ & ' ( ) * + , ; = have meaning in a URL. Encode them inside values.
4. Unreserved characters letters, digits and - . _ ~ never need encoding.
5. Spaces become %20 in paths and either %20 or + in query strings.

Troubleshooting

If a link works in the browser but fails in code, compare the encoded forms. If a redirect URL loses its parameters, the inner URL probably needs component encoding before it is placed in another URL.