URL Encoder/Decoder
URL encoding, also called percent-encoding, replaces characters that are unsafe in a web address with a % sign and two hex digits, so a space becomes %20. Choose Encode or Decode in Toolvetta’s tool, pick Component or Full URL mode, and paste your text.
Runs in your browser. Your files and text are not uploaded.
Component: uses encodeURIComponent. Also encodes : / ? # & =, so use it for a single query value.
How to URL decode and encode
- Choose Encode or Decode.
- Pick Component for a single value, or Full URL to keep the address structure.
- Paste your text or link.
- Copy the result.
URL Encoder/Decoder: frequently asked questions
How do I decode a URL?
Choose Decode and paste the link or text. Codes such as %20 turn back into spaces and %2F into /, so you can read long tracking links and query strings. If a decoded value is JSON, format it with the JSON Formatter.
How do I URL encode a string?
Choose Encode, keep Component mode and paste the string. Spaces become %20 and characters such as &, = and ? are escaped, so the value is safe inside a query string.
What is the difference between component and full URL mode?
Component mode (encodeURIComponent) encodes everything except letters, numbers and - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ). Full URL mode (encodeURI) leaves : / ? # & = alone so a whole address still works.
What does %20 mean in a URL?
%20 is a space. Percent-encoding writes the character’s UTF-8 byte in hexadecimal, so %2F is /, %3F is ? and %26 is &.
Why do + signs stay as + after decoding?
Standard URL decoding only converts %-codes. A + means a space only in HTML form data, so if your text came from a form, replace + with spaces first, or encode spaces as %20.
Why does decoding fail?
A % sign must be followed by two hex digits, and the bytes must form valid UTF-8. A stray % or a cut-off code causes an error that tells you so.
How is URL encoding different from Base64?
URL encoding changes only unsafe characters and keeps the rest readable. Base64 rewrites all the data into a different alphabet, which is useful for binary data but not for links.
Built and tested by Zia Ur Rehman · Updated October 2026