Free Online URL Encoder & Decoder
Safely encode URLs for HTTP requests or decode percent-encoded strings back to readable text. Handles all special characters per RFC 3986.
Related Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (percent-encoding) replaces unsafe characters with a % sign followed by their two-digit hex code. For example, a space becomes %20. This ensures URLs remain valid across all browsers and servers per RFC 3986.
Which characters need to be URL encoded?
Reserved characters that have special meaning in URLs (?, &, =, #, /) need encoding when used as literal data. Unsafe characters (spaces, <, >, {, }) and non-ASCII characters always need encoding.
When should I encode the full URL vs just a parameter?
Encode only the values of query parameters, not the entire URL. Encoding the full URL would break the slashes and colons that are structurally part of the address.