URL Encoder
Encode and decode URLs safely.
Result
Encode and decode URLs safely.
URL encoding (percent-encoding) converts special characters into safe formats for transmission in URLs. Spaces, symbols, and non-ASCII characters must be encoded to prevent broken links and ensure proper data transmission across web applications, APIs, and browsers.
Reserved Characters: URLs use specific characters (?, &, =, #) for syntax purposes. Using these literally in parameters breaks URL structure. Encoding converts "?" to %3F, "&" to %26, etc., preserving URL integrity.
Spaces and Special Characters: URLs cannot contain spaces or many punctuation marks. Spaces become %20 or +, making "hello world" into "hello%20world" for safe transmission.
International Characters: Non-ASCII characters (Chinese, Arabic, emoji) must be UTF-8 encoded. "café" becomes "caf%C3%A9" to work globally across all systems and browsers.
API Development: Developers encode query parameters for API requests, ensuring search terms, user inputs, and filters transmit correctly without breaking endpoint URLs.
Search Engine URLs: Search queries with spaces and special characters need encoding: "best coffee shops" becomes "best+coffee+shops" in search URLs.
Email Links: mailto: links with subject lines and body text require encoding to handle spaces, line breaks, and special characters properly.
Decoding reverses the process, converting %20 back to spaces and %3F to "?", making encoded URLs human-readable for debugging and analysis.