Free URL Encoder & Decoder Online - Encode URLs Instantly | DevTools Hub

Encode and decode URLs online for free. Convert special characters for safe URL transmission. Fast, secure URL encoding tool.

What is URL Encoding?

URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts special characters in URLs into a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet. Because URLs can only be sent using the ASCII character set, any special characters or spaces must be converted to "%" followed by hexadecimal values.

Percent EncodingURI FormatSafe URL

Why Use URL Encoding?

  • ✓
    Safe TransmissionEnsures URLs don't break during HTTP requests.
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    Query ParametersSafely passes values with spaces and & symbols.
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    Data IntegrityPrevents data corruption in API endpoints.
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    Standard ComplianceFollows strict web URI specifications.

How to Use

Encode or decode URLs in three simple steps

01
⚙️

Select Mode

Choose whether you want to encode a standard string or decode an encoded URL.

02
⌨️

Enter Data

Paste your URL or text string into the input area.

03
✅

Process

Click Encode/Decode and instantly copy the safe, processed URL.

Common Use Cases

🔗

Query Strings

Encode values in URL query parameters to avoid breaking the link.

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API Requests

Properly format URLs for REST API calls and data fetching.

📝

Form Submissions

Handle spaces and special characters when submitting GET forms.

📧

Email Links

Create safe mailto: links containing subjects or body text.

Encoding Best Practices

Don't Double Encode

Be careful not to encode a URL that is already percent-encoded.

Encode Parameters Only

Usually, you only need to encode the query values, not the base domain.

Handle Spaces

Spaces are traditionally encoded as %20 or + in query strings.

Use UTF-8

Modern web browsers and APIs expect UTF-8 encoded characters.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about URL percent-encoding and safe data transmission.

URL encoding (also known as percent-encoding) is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). It replaces unsafe ASCII characters with a "%" followed by two hexadecimal digits.
URLs can only be sent over the Internet using the ASCII character-set. If a URL contains characters outside the ASCII set, or unsafe characters like spaces or "&", they must be converted into a valid ASCII format to prevent transmission errors.
Only alphanumerics (A-Z, a-z, 0-9) and the special characters "- _ . ~" are safe. All other characters must be percent-encoded.
No. URL encoding replaces unsafe characters with % hex codes specifically for web addresses, whereas Base64 translates binary data into a 64-character text string for data transmission.