🔗 Free Online URL Encoder & Decoder
Encode URLs safely or decode percent-encoded strings — instantly in your browser. No signup, no data sent anywhere, completely free.
🔗 Open URL Encoder/Decoder →URL Encoding
Convert special characters like spaces, &, ?, # into safe percent-encoded equivalents. Essential for query strings and API calls.
URL Decoding
Decode percent-encoded URLs back to human-readable format. See what's really in that cryptic %20%3F string.
Instant & Local
All processing happens in your browser. No server round-trips, no data collection, zero latency.
100% Private
Your URLs never leave your browser. No cookies, no tracking, no analytics tied to your data.
📖 How URL Encoding Works
URLs can only contain a limited set of characters from the ASCII character set. Characters outside this set — spaces, non-Latin letters, special symbols — must be percent-encoded. Each special character is replaced with a % followed by two hexadecimal digits representing its byte value.
| Character | Encoded | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| space | %20 | Space in URLs becomes %20 |
| ? | %3F | Question mark — reserved for query strings |
| & | %26 | Ampersand — reserved for parameter separation |
| # | %23 | Hash — reserved for fragments |
| / | %2F | Forward slash — path separator |
| é | %C3%A9 | Non-ASCII characters use UTF-8 encoding |
🛠️ When You Need a URL Encoder
- Building API requests — query parameters with special characters must be encoded
- Creating shareable links — encode URLs with non-Latin characters for social media
- Debugging redirects — decode encoded URLs to see the actual destination
- Email marketing — UTM parameters with spaces or symbols need encoding
- Web scraping — construct properly encoded URLs from extracted data
Try It Now — Free & Instant
Paste any URL and encode or decode it instantly. No signup required.
🔗 Open URL Encoder/Decoder →❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) replaces unsafe ASCII characters with a % followed by two hexadecimal digits. It ensures URLs are valid and can be transmitted over the internet without corruption.
What's the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI is for full URLs — it preserves characters like / ? & # that have structural meaning. encodeURIComponent encodes everything including those characters, making it safe for query parameter values. Our tool uses encodeURIComponent for maximum safety.
Is this URL encoder free?
Yes — completely free with no limits, no signup, and no ads. All processing is done locally in your browser for maximum privacy and speed.
Can I use this for bulk URL encoding?
Our free tool processes one URL at a time. For bulk operations or API access, check out our Pro API plans starting at €9/month.
⚡ Developer API Pro
Bulk URL encoding/decoding via API. Perfect for scraping pipelines and data processing.
Get API Access — €9/mo →