Build a search URL
Encode the search term before adding it after ?q= so an ampersand or accent does not break the link.
URL encoder and decoder
Turn a string into a URL-safe value or decode escaped characters to recover the original text directly in your browser.
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How does this tool work?
This tool encodes text so it can safely go into a URL, or decodes a piece of URL full of %C3%A9 and %20 so you can read it. It applies the percent-encoding defined in RFC 3986, useful for building a search parameter, debugging a tracking link or reading a URL copied from server logs.
Encode replaces every character that is not an ASCII letter, a digit or one of - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ) with its %XX form: the text is first converted to UTF-8, so é becomes %C3%A9 (two bytes) and a space becomes %20.
Reserved characters such as /, ?, &, = and # are encoded too: the function is meant for a URL component (a parameter value, a path segment), not for a full address.
Decode does the reverse: each %XX sequence is replaced by the original character, rebuilding multi-byte UTF-8 characters.
If a sequence is incomplete or does not form a valid UTF-8 character (a lone %, %E9 on its own), decoding fails and the tool shows an error message instead of a wrong result.
How to use this tool
Paste the text or URL
In the Text or URL field: a value to encode or an encoded string to decode.
Choose the action
Encode or Decode.
Get the result
Copy the transformed value from the Result field.
Check the round trip
Decoding encoded text should give back exactly the original text.
Use cases
Read a URL from server logs
Decode paths and parameters stored in encoded form in logs or analytics tools.
Debug a redirect link
Decode the redirect_uri or returnUrl parameter of a sign-in link to see the actual address.
Examples
Encode a parameter value
Accented letters become two encoded bytes, the space becomes %20 and the ampersand %26, so the value can go after q= without splitting the query string.
Input
Text or URL: crème brûlée & café · EncodeResult
Result: cr%C3%A8me%20br%C3%BBl%C3%A9e%20%26%20caf%C3%A9Decode a query string
The encoded = and & signs are restored and the accents become readable again.
Input
Text or URL: q%3Dcr%C3%A8me%20br%C3%BBl%C3%A9e%26page%3D2 · DecodeResult
Result: q=crème brûlée&page=2Decoding not possible
A % followed by anything other than two hexadecimal digits is not a valid sequence, so the tool reports it instead of inventing a character.
Input
Text or URL: 100% · DecodeResult
Result: Invalid URL content.Tips and best practices
- Do not encode a full URL: https:// would become https%3A%2F%2F. Encode only the variable value, then assemble the address.
- Decoding an already decoded string again can corrupt it if it contains a literal %: decode once.
- The + sign is not turned into a space when decoding: that is an HTML form convention, not part of percent-encoding.
- To split a full query string into parameters, the query string tool is a better fit.
Sources and references
- RFC 3986 — Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax (opens in a new tab), RFC EditorPage in English
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between encoding a URL and encoding a component?
A full URL keeps its separators (:, /, ?, &) as they are. This tool encodes a component, so it also encodes those separators, which is essential when a parameter value itself contains & or =.
Why does é become %C3%A9 rather than %E9?
The text is encoded in UTF-8, today’s web standard, where é takes two bytes (C3 and A9). %E9 is the old Latin-1 encoding and causes an error when decoding.
Why isn’t + decoded as a space?
In percent-encoding a space is written %20. + means space only in form data (application/x-www-form-urlencoded). Replace + with spaces before decoding if your string comes from a form.
Which characters are never encoded?
The letters A to Z and a to z, the digits and the signs - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ). Everything else, including spaces and accented letters, is encoded.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. Encoding and decoding run in your browser.
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