URL Encode and Decode Online

Percent-encode text for a URL, or decode %20 and %C3%A9 back to readable characters. Both panes are editable and update each other as you type.

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What is URL Encode and Decode?

URL encoding, also called percent-encoding, replaces characters that are unsafe or reserved in a URL with a % followed by the two hex digits of each UTF-8 byte. A space becomes %20, an ampersand becomes %26, and é becomes %C3%A9 because it is two bytes in UTF-8. The rules come from RFC 3986, which splits characters into unreserved (letters, digits, and - _ . ~), reserved delimiters that carry meaning in the URL grammar, and everything else. JavaScript exposes two encoders: encodeURIComponent escapes the reserved delimiters as well, which is what you want for a single query-string value, and encodeURI preserves them so a complete URL stays valid.

How to use

  1. Pick a mode: encodeURIComponent for a single query value, encodeURI for a whole URL.
  2. Type in the left pane to encode, or paste percent-encoded text in the right pane to decode.
  3. Copy either side, or hit Swap to move the encoded result back to the input.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?

encodeURIComponent escapes reserved characters like & = ? / # so a value survives being dropped into a query string. encodeURI leaves them alone because they are URL syntax, which is what you want when encoding a whole URL.

Why do I get URIError: URI malformed when decoding?

A % must be followed by two hex digits and multi-byte sequences must be complete. %E0%A4%A is a truncated three-byte sequence, so decodeURIComponent throws. This page shows the error instead of failing silently.

How are spaces encoded in a URL?

As %20 by both functions. The + sign only means space in form-encoded bodies, so + and %20 are not interchangeable inside a path.

Does this handle emoji and accented characters?

Yes. Text is UTF-8 encoded first, so é becomes %C3%A9. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

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