URL Encoder / Decoder
Percent-encode or decode URLs and query-string parameters safely and instantly.
Knowledge Base & Educational Companion: URL Percent-Encoding Explained
URL encoding (percent-encoding) converts characters that are not allowed in a URL into a '%' followed by hexadecimal digits, so links and query strings remain valid and unambiguous.
1. Reserved Characters
Characters like space, &, ?, =, and # have structural meaning in a URL. Encoding turns a space into %20 and an ampersand into %26 so they are treated as data, not syntax.
2. Component vs Full URL
encodeURIComponent escapes nearly everything and is meant for a single query value, while encodeURI preserves the overall URL structure. Use the component form when building parameters.
3. Unicode Handling
Non-ASCII characters are first converted to UTF-8 bytes, then each byte is percent-encoded, allowing any language or emoji to travel safely inside a link.