Need to encode or decode URLs? Our free online URL encoder/decoder safely converts special characters into percent-encoded format for web use and back again. It is an essential tool for developers working with APIs, query parameters, and web addresses.
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Did You Know?
The space character is typically encoded as %20 or sometimes as a plus sign (+) in query strings.
Tip
Always use encodeURIComponent() in JavaScript for individual parameters to avoid breaking the query structure.
URL encoding, also known as percent-encoding, is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). Characters that are not allowed in a URL must be replaced with a '%' followed by two hexadecimal digits. This process ensures that web servers and browsers interpret the address correctly, especially when dealing with query parameters containing reserved characters like '&', '=', or '?'.
Best Practice
Avoid double-encoding URLs, as this leads to incorrect data when the server attempts to decode it.
Q: What characters are typically encoded? A: Reserved characters like spaces, ampersands, plus signs, and non-ASCII characters are converted to percent-encoded values.
Q: Is there a difference between URL encoding and URI encoding? A: While often used interchangeably, URI encoding is the broader standard (RFC 3986) that URL encoding follows.
Q: Is this tool secure for sensitive data? A: Our tool processes data locally in your browser, meaning your data isn't sent to our servers for the encoding process.
Did You Know?
URL encoding is required for any character that is not a letter, a digit, or one of the following: - _ . ~