🔗 URL Encoder & Decoder
Encode and decode URLs, query strings, and special characters. Essential for web development, API testing, and URL manipulation.
🔐 Encode
🔓 Decode
📊 Parse Query String
📝 Examples (Click to Try)
URL with spaces and special characters
https://example.com/search?q=hello world&category=web development
Text with punctuation
Hello! How are you? I'm fine & dandy.
Encoded URL
https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dhello%20world%26page%3D1
URL with query parameters
https://example.com/api/users?id=123&name=John%20Doe&role=admin&active=true
📖 URL Encoding Explained
- What is URL encoding? Converting special characters to percent-encoded format (%XX)
- Why encode? URLs can only contain certain characters; spaces and special chars must be encoded
- Common encodings: Space → %20 or +, & → %26, = → %3D, ? → %3F
- When to use: Building query strings, passing data in URLs, API requests
- UTF-8: All encoding is done using UTF-8 character encoding
- Reserved characters: : / ? # [ ] @ ! $ & ' ( ) * + , ; =
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What characters need to be encoded?
Spaces, special characters (&, =, ?, #), and non-ASCII characters must be encoded. Reserved characters like : / ? # should be encoded when used as data, not as URL structure.
What's the difference between %20 and +?
Both represent spaces. %20 is the standard encoding, while + is often used in query strings. Our tool uses %20 for consistency.
Can I encode entire URLs?
Yes, but be careful. Only encode the data parts (query parameters, path segments), not the structure (http://, domain, etc.).
Is double-encoding a problem?
Yes! Encoding already-encoded data creates issues. Always decode first before re-encoding.