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URL Encoder & Decoder

Encode or decode URLs and query strings instantly.

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Free Online URL Encoder & Decoder

Encode special characters in URLs to their percent-encoded equivalents, or decode percent-encoded strings back to readable text. UtilHub's URL Encoder handles spaces, ampersands, Unicode characters, and every other character that needs escaping in a valid URL. Essential for building query strings, debugging API requests, and working with URL parameters that contain special characters. Runs entirely in your browser — no data sent anywhere.

How to use URL Encoder & Decoder

  • Select "Encode" or "Decode".
  • Paste your URL string.
  • Result appears instantly.
  • Copy to clipboard.

Features

  • Encode & decode in one tool — Toggle between encoding and decoding without switching pages. Paste a URL and get instant results.
  • Component-aware encoding — Properly encodes query parameters, path segments, and full URLs using the correct RFC 3986 rules for each part.
  • UTF-8 support — Handles multi-byte characters correctly, converting them to the proper percent-encoded byte sequences.
  • No server round-trips — Encoding and decoding happen entirely in your browser using native JavaScript functions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is URL encoding and why do I need it?

URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts special characters into a format that can be safely transmitted in a URL. Characters like spaces, ampersands (&), question marks (?), and non-ASCII characters need to be encoded because they have special meaning in URLs. For example, a space becomes <code>%20</code> and an ampersand becomes <code>%26</code>.

What's the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?

<code>encodeURI()</code> encodes a full URL but leaves characters like <code>:</code>, <code>/</code>, <code>?</code>, and <code>&</code> intact because they have structural meaning in a URL. <code>encodeURIComponent()</code> encodes everything except letters, digits, and a few safe characters — use it for individual query parameter values. This tool supports both modes.