Should I encode the whole URL or just the parameter?

Usually just the parameter value. Encoding a full URL will also encode the :// and ? characters, which breaks it. This tool encodes exactly what you paste, for parameters, paste only the value.

What's the difference between encodeURI and component encoding?

Full-URL encoding leaves structural characters like : / ? # intact; component encoding encodes everything except alphanumerics. Use component encoding for query parameter values.

URL Encoder & Decoder

Encode and decode URLs and query strings instantly.

Text to encode (0 characters)

Encoded output

Encoded text will appear here…

Full URL or URL component?

This tool uses encodeURIComponent, which encodes every special character, use it for a URL component such as a query-string value (?q=hello%20world). To encode a full URL while keeping its structure (: / ? # &) intact, use JavaScript's encodeURI instead.

Encoding and decoding happen entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent or stored anywhere.

About this tool

URLs can only safely contain a limited set of characters, everything else, from spaces to emoji to ampersands inside a search query, must be percent-encoded. This free URL encoder handles both directions: encode text into valid percent-encoding for links, APIs, and redirects, or decode encoded URLs back into readable form.

It correctly handles the cases that trip people up: encoding query parameter values without breaking the URL structure, decoding doubly-encoded strings, and preserving Unicode characters through proper UTF-8 encoding. Paste anything from a full URL to a single parameter value and get the correct result instantly.

How to use the url encoder & decoder

1Choose the Encode tab to percent-encode text, or Decode to reverse it.
2Paste your URL or query string into the input.
3The result appears instantly below.
4Click Copy to copy the encoded or decoded output.

Good to know

Everything runs locally in your browser, no uploads, no tracking. A small, precise utility for developers, marketers building tracked links, and anyone who's ever seen %20 and wondered what it was.

Frequently asked questions

It's the mechanism URLs use to represent special characters: a space becomes %20, an ampersand becomes %26, and so on. It keeps URLs valid when they contain characters with special meaning.

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