Tool Forge
Free
URL Encoder & Decoder
Encode URLs for safe transmission or decode percent-encoded strings back to readable text. Supports full URL mode and component mode for query parameters. Everything runs in your browser.
Plain Text / URL
0 chars
Encoded Output
0 chars
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Input Chars
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Output Chars
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Encoded Segments
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Size Ratio
What is URL Encoding?
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts characters that are not allowed or have special meaning in URLs into a safe format: a % sign followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the character's byte value. For example, a space becomes %20, and an ampersand (&) becomes %26.
Full URL vs. Component Encoding
| Mode | JS Function | Preserves | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full URL | encodeURI() | / ? # & = : @ ! $ ' ( ) * + , ; |
Encoding a complete URL |
| Component | encodeURIComponent() | - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ) only |
Encoding a query value or path segment |
Common Use Cases
- Query parameters — Safely pass values like
name=John Doeasname=John%20Doe - API requests — Encode search terms, filters, or user input before appending to a URL
- Redirect URLs — Encode a full URL being passed as a parameter value
- Form data — HTML forms use a variation of URL encoding (
application/x-www-form-urlencoded) for POST bodies - Internationalization — Encode non-ASCII characters (Chinese, Arabic, emoji) for universal URL compatibility
Common Encoded Characters
space → %20& → %26= → %3D+ → %2B? → %3F/ → %2F# → %23@ → %40