Free online URL encoder/decoder. Encode URL parameters and query strings. Supports UTF-8 encoding for international characters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts special characters into a format that can be transmitted over the Internet. Spaces become %20, special characters become %XX.
Why do I need to encode URLs?
URLs can only contain a limited set of characters (ASCII letters, digits, and some special characters). Non-ASCII characters and special characters must be encoded to be properly transmitted.
What characters are encoded?
Characters like spaces, &, =, #, %, /, :, ?, and others are encoded. Alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and -_.~ are generally safe and not encoded.
How does URL decoding work?
URL decoding reverses the encoding process, converting percent-encoded sequences back to their original characters. For example, %20 becomes a space.