URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode and decode URLs online. Free URL encoding tool for developers.
How to use: Paste text or a URL to encode/decode — switch modes with the toggle.
How to Encode and Decode URLs
Paste your URL or text into the input field. Click Encode to convert special characters to percent-encoded format, or Decode to convert percent-encoded strings back to readable text. The tool uses JavaScript's encodeURIComponent and decodeURIComponent functions.
URL Encoding for Web Development
Proper URL encoding is critical for building web applications. Query parameters, form submissions, API calls, and redirect URLs all require correct encoding to prevent broken links, security vulnerabilities (like XSS), and data corruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is URL encoding?
- URL encoding (percent encoding) replaces unsafe characters in URLs with a % sign followed by their hex value. For example, a space becomes %20. This ensures URLs are transmitted correctly across the internet.
- When do I need to URL encode?
- URL encode when passing special characters in query parameters, form data, or path segments. Characters like spaces, &, =, ?, #, and non-ASCII characters must be encoded to avoid breaking the URL structure.
- What characters need URL encoding?
- Characters outside the unreserved set (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, -, _, ., ~) should be encoded in URL components. Reserved characters like &, =, ?, #, and / have special meanings and need encoding when used as data.