URL Encoder & Decoder
Encode or decode URLs and query strings instantly. Free, no signup.
What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) replaces unsafe or special characters in a URL with a percent sign followed by their hexadecimal ASCII value. For example, a space becomes %20 and an ampersand becomes %26. This ensures URLs are transmitted correctly across the internet.
Common URL-encoded characters
| Character | Encoded | Description |
|---|---|---|
| (space) | %20 | Space character |
| & | %26 | Ampersand |
| = | %3D | Equals sign |
| ? | %3F | Question mark |
| # | %23 | Hash/pound sign |
| / | %2F | Forward slash |
| @ | %40 | At sign |
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I need to URL-encode?
URL-encode whenever you pass special characters in query parameters, form data, or API requests. Without encoding, characters like &, =, and ? are interpreted as URL delimiters instead of literal values.
What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI encodes a full URL, preserving characters like :, /, ?, and #.encodeURIComponent encodes everything including those characters, making it suitable for encoding individual query parameter values. This tool uses encodeURIComponent for the most thorough encoding.