URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode special characters in URLs (percent-encoding) or decode percent-encoded URLs.
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How to use this calculator
- 1
Paste a URL or query string.
- 2
Choose encode (to percent-encode special characters) or decode (to reverse).
- 3
Use "Encode component" for individual query parameter values.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI encodes a full URL, leaving characters like / : ? & = intact (they are valid URL structure). encodeURIComponent encodes everything except letters, digits, and - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ), making it safe for a value inside a query string.
Why does space become %20 or +?
In the path and query portion of URLs, space encodes to %20. In HTML form data (application/x-www-form-urlencoded), space encodes to +. This tool uses standard %20 encoding.
When do I need URL encoding?
When a URL contains spaces, non-ASCII characters, or characters with special meaning in URLs (like &, =, #). Browsers auto-encode some characters, but APIs and server-side code require properly encoded URLs.
URL encoding: making URLs web-safe
Percent-encoding rules
URLs can only contain a safe subset of ASCII characters. All other characters must be percent-encoded: replaced with % followed by their two-digit hex code. Space = %20, # = %23, & = %26, = = %3D, + = %2B. Unicode characters are encoded as their UTF-8 bytes: é = %C3%A9.
Full URL vs component encoding
encodeURI is for full URLs — it preserves the URL structure (slashes, colons, question marks). encodeURIComponent is for values within URLs — it encodes everything that could break URL structure. Use encodeURIComponent when building query strings: `?q=${encodeURIComponent(searchTerm)}`.
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