URL Encode/Decode

Component encoding (encodeURIComponent) escapes every special character, including / ? & = — use it for a single query parameter's value. Full URI encoding (encodeURI) leaves URL-structural characters like : / ? & alone — use it when encoding an entire URL.

Whenever a value goes into a URL and might contain spaces, symbols or non-English characters — search terms, email addresses, redirect targets, or any query parameter that could itself contain a URL.

%20 is the standard percent-encoding for a space and works anywhere in a URL. The + form is a legacy convention valid only in query strings of HTML form submissions. This tool outputs %20, which is always safe.

Decoding fails if the input contains invalid or incomplete percent-encoded sequences (like a stray % not followed by two hex digits). Double-check you pasted the full encoded string.

It's an encoded percent sign. Because % starts every escape sequence, a literal % must itself be encoded — which is why double-encoding a string turns %20 into %2520.

Decode it twice. If one pass leaves you with visible %20 or %3A sequences, the string was encoded twice — run it through decode again.

Yes. Characters outside ASCII are encoded as UTF-8 byte sequences, so accented letters, Chinese characters and emoji all round-trip correctly.

No. URL encoding makes text safe inside a URL, Base64 turns binary into text for transport, and HTML encoding escapes characters like < and & for page markup. Separate tools exist here for Base64.

No. It's a formatting rule, not protection — anyone can decode it instantly. Never rely on it to hide sensitive values.

No. Encoding and decoding both run locally in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.