Why URLs need encoding
URLs can only contain a limited set of characters. Spaces, accented letters and symbols such as &, ? and # have special meaning or are not allowed, so they have to be replaced with percent-encoded sequences to travel safely inside a link or query string. This tool encodes and decodes that format for you.
What it does
- Encode: Converts text into a URL-safe form, turning a space into %20 and other characters into their percent codes.
- Decode: Reverses the process, turning a percent-encoded string back into readable text.
When you need it
- Building links that carry search terms or parameters containing spaces or symbols.
- Reading an encoded URL that someone has shared with you.
- Debugging query strings in web development and APIs.
Good to know
Encoding and decoding happen entirely in your browser, so nothing you paste is sent to a server. The tool uses the same standard your browser and web servers rely on, so the output is safe to drop straight into a link.