Textoolz

URL Encoder / Decoder

Encode special characters for URLs or decode percent-encoded URL strings back to readable text. Free online URL encoding tool.

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The URL Encoder/Decoder converts text to percent-encoded format for safe use in URLs and query strings, and decodes encoded URLs back to human-readable text. Characters like spaces, ampersands, and non-ASCII letters are replaced with percent-encoded equivalents (e.g., space becomes %20).

URL encoding is essential when building query parameters, form data, or any text that will appear in a URL. Without proper encoding, special characters can break URLs or change their meaning. This tool uses JavaScript's encodeURIComponent and decodeURIComponent for standards-compliant encoding.

Processing happens entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. This makes it safe for encoding sensitive query parameters, API keys, or authentication tokens.

How to Use URL Encoder / Decoder

  1. 1Paste or type text into the input area.
  2. 2Toggle between Encode and Decode mode.
  3. 3The URL-encoded or decoded result appears instantly.
  4. 4Click Copy to use the result in your project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is URL encoding?▾
URL encoding (also called percent encoding) replaces special characters with a percent sign followed by two hex digits. For example, a space becomes %20 and an ampersand becomes %26. This ensures URLs are valid and unambiguous.
When do I need to URL encode text?▾
You need URL encoding whenever you place user-generated text in a URL, query parameter, or form submission. Without encoding, characters like &, =, and spaces can break the URL structure.
What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?▾
encodeURI encodes a full URL but preserves characters like /, ?, and # that have meaning in URLs. encodeURIComponent encodes everything except letters, digits, and a few symbols, making it suitable for encoding individual query parameter values. This tool uses encodeURIComponent.
Does URL encoding handle non-English characters like Chinese or Arabic?▾
Yes. Non-ASCII characters are first encoded as UTF-8 bytes, and each byte is then percent-encoded. For example, the Chinese character 你 becomes %E4%BD%A0. This ensures international text can be safely included in URLs across all browsers and servers.