Free Online URL Encoder & Decoder
Encode and decode URLs, query strings, and URI components instantly. Supports full percent-encoding with local browser processing.
link Input URL
code Output Result
Key Features
Instant Processing
All operations run locally in your browser for instant, zero-latency results.
Privacy Protected
Your data never leaves your browser. No server storage or tracking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Basics
What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (percent-encoding) converts characters that are not allowed in URLs into a safe format using % followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the byte value.
Why use URL encoding?
URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters. Special characters like spaces, ampersands, and non-ASCII characters must be encoded to work correctly in URLs and query parameters.
What characters are safe without encoding?
Unreserved characters: A-Z a-z 0-9 - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ). Reserved characters like :/?#[]@!$&'()*+,;= have special meaning and must be encoded when used as literal values.
Encoding Methods
What encoding method does this tool use?
This tool uses encodeURIComponent for encoding and decodeURIComponent for decoding, which encodes all characters except A-Z a-z 0-9 - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ).
Why are spaces sometimes encoded as + instead of %20?
In application/x-www-form-urlencoded format (form data), spaces are encoded as +. In standard percent-encoding for URLs, spaces are %20. This tool uses %20 since it follows the RFC 3986 standard.
Usage
Can I decode a partially encoded URL?
Yes. This tool decodes any %XX sequences it finds, leaving unencoded characters unchanged. Partially encoded URLs like hello%20world will be fully decoded to hello world.
Is my data safe?
Yes. All encoding and decoding happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your data never leaves your device or gets sent to any server.