URL encode and decode
Encode text or a whole URL for use in a link, or decode percent-encoded text. Runs on your device.
About this calculator
Choose how to encode: the component mode encodes every reserved character, ideal for a single query value, while the whole URL mode keeps characters like : / ? and &.
To decode, choose Decode and paste the text. Tick the box to treat plus signs as spaces.
Measurements and terms explained
- Percent encoding
- Writing a character as % followed by two hexadecimal digits, for example %26 for &.
- Reserved characters
- Characters with a special meaning in a URL, such as ? & = / # and :.
- Query string
- The part of a URL after the ?, holding name and value pairs.
Common questions
Why does a space become %20?
Spaces are not allowed in a web address, so each unsafe character is replaced with a percent sign and its hexadecimal code.
What is the difference between the two encode modes?
Component encoding is stricter. Use it on one piece of a URL, not the whole address.
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