Free URL Encoder & Decoder
Encode any text or URL to make it safe for use in query strings, or decode percent-encoded URLs back to human-readable form — all in your browser.
Switch between Encode and Decode mode with one click. Swap output back to input to chain operations.
Encodes all characters except A–Z, a–z, 0–9, -, _, ., ! , ~, *, ', (, ) — the standard for query string values.
Uses JavaScript's built-in encodeURIComponent and decodeURIComponent. Your URLs never leave your browser.
Frequently asked questions
When do I need to encode a URL?
When a URL contains special characters like spaces, &, =, or non-ASCII characters, they must be percent-encoded to be valid in a query string.
What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI encodes a full URL and leaves structural characters like /, ?, and & intact. encodeURIComponent encodes everything including those characters — use it for individual query parameter values.
Does this tool handle Unicode?
Yes. Unicode characters are first converted to UTF-8 bytes, then each byte is percent-encoded — e.g., ề becomes %E1%BB%81.