How do I URL encode a string?

Paste your string into the URL Encoder and click Encode. Special characters like spaces, &, =, and # will be converted to their percent-encoded equivalents.

What characters need to be URL encoded?

Characters that must be encoded include space ( ), ampersand (&), equals (=), plus (+), hash (#), percent (%), and non-ASCII characters.

What is the difference between %20 and + for spaces?

%20 is the standard URL encoding for a space. The + sign is used to represent spaces in query strings (application/x-www-form-urlencoded format).

How do I decode a URL encoded string?

Paste the percent-encoded URL into the decoder field and click Decode to convert %20, %26, and other encoded characters back to their original form.

Why do URLs have % characters?

Percent encoding replaces unsafe or reserved URL characters with a % followed by their two-digit hexadecimal code, ensuring the URL is valid and parseable.

URL Encoder / Decoder

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Quick Answer

URL encoding (percent-encoding) replaces special characters in URLs with their % hexadecimal equivalents — for example, a space becomes %20 and & becomes %26. Use this tool to encode strings for safe URL use or decode percent-encoded URLs back to readable text.

Encode or decode URLs and query strings. Shows the character-level diff.

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Cite This Tool

URL Encoder / Decoder. (2026). DevTools Online. Retrieved from https://devutilitypro.com/url-encoder-decoder/

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