URL Encoder vs Decoder

Confused about whether to percent-encode or decode a URL? Learn the difference and which tool to use for your input.

URL encoding and decoding are mirror operations for percent-encoding. The direction depends on whether your input is a raw string or an already-encoded URL.

URL Encoder

  • Percent-encodes reserved and non-ASCII characters so a value is safe inside a URL.
  • Use it when building a query string from user input that may contain spaces, & or #.
  • Spaces become %20, and Unicode characters are UTF-8 encoded first.
Open URL Encoder

URL Decoder

  • Decodes percent-encoded text back to the original characters.
  • Use it when you have a URL full of %20 and %3D sequences and need the readable form.
  • Decodes standard percent-encoding only, leaving + as a literal plus sign.
Open URL Decoder

Verdict

If you need to make a value safe for a URL, encode it. If you have an already-encoded URL and need to read it, decode it.