URL Encode / Decode
Encode special characters for safe use in URLs, or decode percent-encoded strings back to readable text. Instant, in-browser.
How to Encode and Decode URLs Online
ToolsPix URL Encoder / Decoder converts text to and from percent-encoded URL format using your browser's built-in encodeURIComponent and encodeURI functions. There is no software to install, no account to create, and no data is sent to any server.
Why use ToolsPix URL Encoder / Decoder?
- Completely free with no character-count limits.
- All encoding and decoding happens locally in your browser — no data is sent to any server.
- Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android — anywhere with a modern browser.
- Switch between
encodeURIComponentandencodeURImodes; encode or decode with instant results. - No watermarks, no sign-up, and no third-party trackers.
Steps to encode or decode a URL
Select Encode or Decode mode with the tab bar, paste your text into the input field, and the result appears instantly. Choose between encodeURIComponent (for query parameter values) or encodeURI (for complete URLs) using the mode dropdown. Click any character in the quick-reference grid to insert it directly. Once the page is loaded, the tool also works completely offline.
FAQ
What is percent-encoding?
Percent-encoding (URL encoding) replaces unsafe ASCII characters with a % sign followed by two hexadecimal digits. For example, a space becomes %20 and & becomes %26. This ensures special characters are transmitted correctly in URLs.
When do I need to URL-encode?
Any time you include user-provided data in a URL — query parameters, path segments, or form data. Characters like spaces, &, =, #, and non-ASCII characters (including Chinese, Arabic, etc.) must be encoded to avoid breaking the URL structure.
Why does + sometimes appear instead of %20?
In HTML form data (application/x-www-form-urlencoded), spaces are encoded as + rather than %20. In standard URL encoding (RFC 3986), spaces are always %20. This tool uses standard percent-encoding.
Can I encode non-English characters?
Yes. Non-ASCII characters like Chinese, Arabic, or emoji are first converted to their UTF-8 byte sequences, then each byte is percent-encoded. For example, 中 becomes %E4%B8%AD.
Is URL encoding the same as HTML encoding?
No. URL encoding replaces characters with %XX sequences for safe URL transmission. HTML encoding replaces characters like <, >, and & with named entities for safe HTML rendering. Both serve different purposes — use the HTML Entity Encoder tool for HTML contexts.