Encode and decode URLs instantly — convert special characters to percent-encoding
URL encoding (also known as percent-encoding) is a mechanism defined by RFC 3986 that converts characters not allowed in URLs into a safe transmission format. URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters — letters, digits, and a few specific symbols. Any other character must be replaced by a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the byte value. For example, a space becomes %20, an ampersand becomes %26, and a question mark inside a value becomes %3F. URL decoding reverses the process. This is essential when building URLs with search queries, form parameters, file names with spaces, API requests, or any text containing special or international characters.
Common use cases: building API request URLs with search queries containing spaces or special characters; constructing redirect URLs with parameters; embedding URLs in JSON or query strings; preparing OAuth callback URLs; debugging encoded URLs from server logs; creating affiliate links with tracking parameters; encoding email addresses or phone numbers in mailto/tel links; passing JSON data through URL parameters; and any time you need to safely transmit text containing special characters via HTTP GET requests, browser address bars, or text-based protocols.
Space → %20
! → %21
" → %22
# → %23
$ → %24
& → %26
' → %27
( → %28
) → %29
+ → %2B
, → %2C
/ → %2F
: → %3A
; → %3B
= → %3D
? → %3F
@ → %40
Non-ASCII characters (like é, ü, 中, 🔥) are encoded as multi-byte UTF-8 sequences such as %C3%A9 for é.
1. Choose mode: Encode URL or Decode URL
2. Paste your URL into the input box
3. Click "Convert" to process
4. Copy the result from the output box
5. Use "Swap" to quickly switch input and output for round-trip testing
6. Use "Clear" to reset both boxes
✅ 100% free — no signup, no ads in tool, no tracking
✅ Both encode and decode in one tool
✅ UTF-8 support for international characters and emojis
✅ Client-side only — URLs never leave your device
✅ Uses native JavaScript encodeURIComponent for maximum compatibility
✅ Swap button for round-trip testing
✅ Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS — any browser
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts special characters into a format that can be safely transmitted in URLs. For example, spaces become %20, ampersands become %26, and question marks become %3F. This is required because URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters per RFC 3986.
You need URL encoding when constructing URLs with query parameters that contain spaces, special characters, or non-ASCII text — such as search queries, form data, file names with spaces, or URLs with international characters. Most programming languages and frameworks handle this automatically, but you may need manual encoding when working with raw URLs, APIs, or debugging.
encodeURIComponent encodes all special characters including reserved ones like / ? & = — making it safe for query parameter values. encodeURI preserves URL structural characters and is meant for entire URLs. Our tool uses encodeURIComponent for maximum compatibility, which is the correct choice for encoding values within URLs.
No. All encoding and decoding happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript's native encodeURIComponent and decodeURIComponent methods. Your URLs never leave your device — nothing is uploaded, logged, or stored. This makes the tool safe for confidential URLs containing API keys or sensitive parameters.
Yes. The tool fully supports UTF-8 encoding for international characters including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Cyrillic, accented Latin characters, and emojis. Each non-ASCII character is converted to a percent-encoded byte sequence that any web server or browser can decode correctly.
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