URL Encoder / Decoder

Encode and decode URLs with proper percent-encoding, preserve reserved characters, and see exactly what changes byte by byte.

Paste text and get it percent-encoded — "a b&c=100%" becomes a%20b%26c%3D100%25 — or paste an encoded URL or query string and decode it back. UTF-8 characters encode correctly to multi-byte sequences.Only unreserved characters (A–Z a–z 0–9 - _ . ~) may appear raw in a URL. Spaces become %20, & becomes %26, and a Chinese character becomes nine characters like %E4%BD%A0 — that is normal and correct.

Written by Nan Liang · Updated November 2026

Frequently asked questions

Should I encode a whole URL or just its parts?

Encode values, not the structure. In ?q=my search&page=2, encode "my search" to my%20search but keep ? and & as separators. Encoding the full URL turns separators into %3F and %26, which breaks it.

What is the difference between %20 and +?

In query strings, both mean space. This tool uses the strict RFC 3986 form (%20). If you are decoding a form-encoded body where + means space, replace + with space first.

Why did decoding fail?

The input has a bad percent sequence — % must be followed by exactly two hex digits. "%zz" or a trailing "%2" are invalid. The tool flags the error instead of guessing.

Does it handle non-English text?

Yes. Encoding uses UTF-8 bytes, the web standard: 你好 becomes %E4%BD%A0%E5%A5%BD. Decoding reverses it exactly.

Next steps

Encoding values for an API? Base64 is the other encoding you will meet in headers — the converter is one click away.

Open the Base64 Converter →