URL Encoder Decoder

Encoding web addresses safely

URLs can contain only a limited set of characters. Spaces, symbols and non-English letters must be converted to percent-encoded form so they travel safely. For example a space becomes %20, an ampersand becomes %26 and a question mark becomes %3F.

When you need it

• Putting search terms or names into a query string
• Passing one URL inside another as a parameter
• Reading an encoded address you copied from a log or a link

Worked example

The text "tea & coffee" becomes tea%20%26%20coffee. Decoding reverses it.

Common mistake

Do not encode an entire address including the https:// part, because the colon and slashes are meant to stay as they are. Encode only the values that go inside parameters.