72 · Text Tools

URL Encode & Decode

Make text safe to put in a link, or turn a messy percent-encoded URL back into something readable.

Runs in your browser

Your text

Mode Encode Decode

When encoding

Result

How to use the url encode & decode

Choose Encode or Decode.
Paste your text or URL.
When encoding, choose whether to encode everything (for a single query value) or keep the URL’s structure.
Copy the result.

Which encoding should I use?

Use Encode everything for a value going into a URL, such as a search term in ?q=…. Characters like &, = and / are escaped so they can’t break the URL.

Use Keep URL structure for a complete URL that contains spaces or non-English characters. The :, /, ? and & that give the URL its shape are left alone.

Examples

a b&c=d

a%20b%26c%3Dd

Decode: caf%C3%A9%20menu

café menu

Questions

Are + signs decoded as spaces?

Yes. Form-style query strings use + for spaces, so decoding converts them.

Why does decoding fail?

The text contains a % that isn’t followed by two hex digits, or bytes that aren’t valid UTF-8.

Is this the same as Base64?

No. URL encoding keeps text mostly readable and only escapes unsafe characters.