`encodeURIComponent`: encodes `&`, `=`, `/` too β use for query parameter values
`encodeURI`: preserves URL structure characters β use for whole URLs
Using `encodeURI` on a parameter value is a classic bug: an `&` inside the value gets read as a parameter separator. Conversely, `encodeURIComponent` on a full URL mangles it into `https%3A%2F%2F...`.
+ vs. %20
In query strings, spaces are historically also written as `+` (form encoding). When decoding, check whether `+` should become a space in your context.
Frequently Asked Questions
URL encoding, also called percent encoding, replaces unsafe or reserved characters in a URL with a '%' followed by two hexadecimal digits. For example, a space becomes '%20' and '&' becomes '%26'. This ensures URLs are transmitted correctly across the internet.
encodeURI encodes a full URI but preserves characters that have special meaning in URLs (like ':', '/', '?', '#', '&'). encodeURIComponent encodes everything including those special characters, making it ideal for encoding individual query parameter values.
Use URL encoding when passing special characters in query strings, form data, or path segments. Common cases include search queries with spaces, non-ASCII characters (like Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text), and values containing reserved characters like '&' or '='.
A space can be encoded as '%20' (standard percent encoding) or '+' (application/x-www-form-urlencoded). encodeURIComponent produces '%20', while HTML form submissions typically use '+'. Both are widely accepted by servers.
A query string is the part of a URL after the '?' character. It consists of key-value pairs separated by '&'. For example, in 'https://example.com/search?q=hello&page=2', the query string is 'q=hello&page=2' with two parameters: q=hello and page=2.
Paste the encoded URL into the input field and click 'Decode'. The tool will convert percent-encoded characters back to their original form. For example, '%E4%BD%A0%E5%A5%BD' will decode to 'δ½ ε₯½'.
Yes! Switch to Bulk Mode to encode or decode multiple URLs simultaneously. Enter one URL per line, and the tool will process all of them at once.
Characters that must be encoded include spaces, non-ASCII characters (Unicode), and reserved characters when used outside their special purpose: '!', '#', '$', '&', ''', '(', ')', '*', '+', ',', '/', ':', ';', '=', '?', '@', '[', ']'. Unreserved characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, '-', '_', '.', '~') don't need encoding.
Yes. All encoding and decoding happens entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server. Your URLs and text never leave your device.
Switch to the Query String tab and paste your full URL. The tool will automatically extract all query parameters into an editable table. You can modify values, add new parameters, or delete existing ones, and the URL will be rebuilt automatically.