URL Encoder and Decoder
About Tool
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) often contain characters that have special meanings in the context of the web, such as spaces, ampersands, or question marks. When these characters need to be included in a query string or a path segment, they must be "percent-encoded." This URL Encoder and Decoder provides a reliable way to transform text into a URL-safe format or revert encoded strings back to their original human-readable form.
Encoding Modes and Use Cases
This tool offers multiple modes to handle different parts of a URI. The Encode (encodeURIComponent) option is the most common for individual parameters, as it encodes characters like slashes and colons. Conversely, Encode full URI (encodeURI) is used when you have a complete link and want to keep the protocol (http://) and domain structure intact while encoding spaces or special symbols in the file path. Selecting the correct mode ensures your links don't break when clicked by a user or processed by a server.
Decoding and Troubleshooting
If you have captured a URL from a log file or a browser address bar that looks like a mess of %20 and %3F, the Decode mode will restore the original text. This is essential for debugging tracking links or API requests. If the input is malformed (e.g., an incomplete percent sequence), the tool handles these errors gracefully. If you find that the decoded output is actually a Base64 string nested inside a URL, you can take that result and pass it through our Base64 to JSON tool for further inspection.
Workflow Integration
Developers often use this tool when preparing data for web-based tools or APIs. For example, if you are generating a dynamic SQL query that will be sent via a GET request, you might first clean your query with an SQL Formatter to ensure logic is sound, then encode the resulting string here to safely append it to your URL. The Copy Output button allows for quick movement between your browser and your code editor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI is meant for an entire URL and ignores characters like : / ; ? @ & = + $ , #. encodeURIComponent encodes everything except for a few basic characters, making it perfect for query string parameters.
Why does a space become %20?
URLs cannot contain actual spaces. In the standard percent-encoding scheme, a space is represented by the hexadecimal value 20 prefixed by a percent sign.
Can this tool decode "plus" signs as spaces?
While standard decodeURIComponent handles %20, some older systems use + for spaces in query strings. This tool follows standard JavaScript decoding rules.
Is there a limit to the length of the URL I can encode?
For most practical browser uses, you can encode strings up to several hundred thousand characters, though extremely long URLs may be truncated by certain web servers or browsers.
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