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URL Encoder / Decoder

Percent-encode a value for a link, or decode a messy URL to read it.

Also searched as: url decode · url encode decode · percent encoding

URL encode and decode

Spaces, &, =, #, ?, slashes and non-English letters are not allowed as-is inside a URL parameter, so they are percent-encoded: a space becomes %20, & becomes %26, and Hindi text becomes a string of %E0%A4… bytes. Use encodeURIComponent for a single value (query parameter, path segment) and encodeURI for a complete URL where the separators must stay.

Common encodings

CharacterEncodedCharacterEncoded
space%20 (or + in forms)&%26
=%3D?%3F
/%2F#%23
@%40:%3A
₹%E2%82%B9+%2B

Decode a link copied from WhatsApp or an email tracker to read it, or encode a message for a wa.me/?text= WhatsApp link.

Frequently asked questions

What is %20 in a URL?

A space. URLs cannot contain spaces, so they are written as %20 (or + inside form query strings).

Which should I use — encodeURI or encodeURIComponent?

encodeURIComponent for a value you are putting into a query string; encodeURI only when encoding a complete URL and you want to keep ://, ? and & working.

Why does decoding fail with 'malformed'?

A % sign that is not followed by two hex digits — encode the text first, or fix the stray %.

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