URL Encode / Decode
Convert text to and from URL (percent) encoding.
By The Paper Room Editorial Team — Developer Tools
Frequently asked questions
What is URL encoding?▼
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) replaces special characters with a percent sign followed by their hexadecimal value. For example, a space becomes %20 and an ampersand becomes %26. This ensures URLs are valid and unambiguous.
When do I need to URL-encode something?▼
Whenever you pass data in a URL — query parameters, path segments, or form submissions. Characters like spaces, ampersands, equals signs, and non-ASCII characters must be encoded to avoid breaking the URL structure.
Does this tool handle full URLs or just components?▼
You can encode individual parameter values or decode full URLs. When encoding, paste just the value you need to encode — not the entire URL, since encoding the structural characters (slashes, colons) would break the URL.