URL Encoder
Encode and decode URLs and special characters
How to use URL Encoder
- 1Paste the URL or query string to encode.
- 2Choose percent-encoding (URL encode) or decode.
- 3Read the result where unsafe characters become %XX escapes.
What is URL encoding?
space → %20; non-ASCII → UTF-8 bytes as %XXA URL may safely contain only a few characters (letters, digits and a few symbols). Spaces, Chinese text, & and = have special meaning or cannot travel, so they must be escaped as % followed by two hex digits.
Encoding lets links parse and transmit correctly, avoiding truncated parameters or injection. Decoding reverses it, turning %XX back to the original. It appears in form posts, API calls and query building.
Frequently asked questions
Why does space become %20?
Space is not URL-safe; the standard escape is %20 (a + variant exists for form spaces).
Why encode Chinese?
URLs are ASCII-based; Chinese is first turned into UTF-8 bytes, then each byte into %XX, and decoded back on receipt.
Does encoding lose information?
No. It is reversible; decoding restores the exact original string.