Why Use This Tool?
URLs can't contain spaces, ampersands, or non-Latin characters — they must be percent-encoded first. This encoder converts any text into URL-safe form, and the decoder reverses %20-style strings back into readable text, fixing the garbled query strings that arrive from forms and analytics.
The optional form-style setting encodes spaces as + instead of %20, matching how HTML form submissions behave.
How It Works
- Paste the text or the encoded string.
- Click encode (or decode, depending on direction).
- Copy the URL-safe result — ready for query strings and API calls.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I URL encode text?
Paste the text and click encode — spaces become %20 (or + in form style), and every special character becomes its percent-encoded equivalent.
Why does my query string show %20 everywhere?
That's percent-encoding — %20 is a space. Click decode and the string becomes readable again. Analytics and form data arrive this way routinely.
What's the difference between %20 and +?
Both mean space, but in different contexts: %20 in path and query values, + only in form-encoded bodies. The checkbox switches between them.
Tips & Things to Watch
- Encode parameter values individually, not the whole URL — ? and & are structure.
- Decoding a string twice means it was encoded twice — decode again.
- Non-Latin characters encode as multiple %XX sequences — that's normal.