URL Encoder and Decoder
Encode or decode special characters in a URL.
Tip: Spaces are encoded as %20 or +. Special characters (&, =, ?) must be encoded if they are in values.
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About this digital tool
The URL encoder and decoder turns special characters into a form that is safe for web addresses (percent-encoding) and back again. Choose Encode or Decode, type or paste the text and get the result instantly.
In a URL some characters such as space, &, =, ? and the Albanian letters ë and ç have a special meaning or are not allowed directly. The tool uses encodeURIComponent, which replaces them with %-sequences, e.g. a space becomes %20 and ë becomes %C3%AB. Decoding turns the sequences back into text. The process happens in your browser. It is useful for developers, for people building links with parameters and for reading long, unreadable addresses.
How to use
- Choose the mode: Encode or Decode.
- Type or paste the text or URL into the field.
- Read the result of the encoding or decoding.
- Copy the result and use it in your link or code.
Frequently asked questions
Why is URL encoding needed?
URLs only accept ASCII characters. Albanian letters (ë, ç), spaces and special symbols must be encoded as %XX to work correctly.
Why does the URL have %20 instead of a space?
A space is not allowed in a URL, so it is encoded as %20. The tool does this for every unsafe character.
Which characters should be encoded in a URL?
Spaces, non-ASCII letters such as ë and ç, and characters such as &, =, ?, # when they are part of a value, not of the URL structure. The tool encodes all of those.
Why does decoding give me an empty result?
The result is empty when the text has an invalid or incomplete % sequence, e.g. a % without two digits after it. Fix the sequence and try again.