Free Online URL Encoder & Decoder

What is URL Encoding (Percent-Encoding)?

URL encoding, also known as percent-encoding, is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) under certain circumstances. It's used to ensure that URLs only contain a limited set of characters (ASCII printable characters). Special characters (like spaces, `&`, `?`, `/`, `%`, `#`, `+`, etc.) or characters outside the standard ASCII set are replaced by a `%` sign followed by two hexadecimal digits that represent the ASCII code of the character.

For example, a space character is encoded as `%20`, and an exclamation mark `!` becomes `%21`.

Why Use a URL Encoder & Decoder?

• Safe URL Transmission: Ensures that URLs, especially those with query parameters containing special characters, are transmitted and interpreted correctly by web servers and browsers.
• Data in Query Strings: When passing data in URL query strings (e.g., `search.php?query=my search term`), the data must be encoded to prevent misinterpretation.
• Working with APIs: Many web APIs require URL parameters to be properly encoded.
• Debugging: Decoders help in making encoded URLs human-readable for debugging or understanding data being passed.
• Security: Proper encoding can prevent certain types of injection attacks or malformed URL issues, though it's not a complete security solution on its own.

How to Use Our URL Encoder & Decoder

• Input Text: Paste or type the string or URL you want to process into the "Input String / URL" textarea.
• Encode: Click the "Encode" button to convert your input into a percent-encoded string. This is useful for preparing text to be part of a URL.
• Decode: Click the "Decode" button to convert a percent-encoded string back into its original, human-readable form.
• View Output: The result of the encoding or decoding operation will appear in the "Output String / URL" textarea.
• Copy or Download: Use the "Copy Output" button to copy the result to your clipboard, or "Download Output (.txt)" to save it as a text file.
• Clear: The "Clear" button will empty both the input and output text areas.

Our tool uses JavaScript's built-in `encodeURIComponent()` for encoding (which is generally recommended for encoding URL parameters) and `decodeURIComponent()` for decoding.