URL encode and decode
Make text safe for a web address, or read an encoded one.
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How to use it
Step 1
Choose Encode or Decode.
Step 2
Paste your text or URL.
Step 3
Copy the result.
About this tool
URLs can only hold some characters. Others, such as spaces and &, are written as a percent sign and two hex digits, for example a space becomes %20.
Use component mode for a single value such as a search term. Use whole-URL mode to keep characters like : / ? and & that give the URL its structure.
Questions
Component or whole URL?
Component encodes almost everything and is right for a query value. Whole URL leaves the separators alone and is right for an entire address.
Why does decoding fail?
The text has a % that is not followed by two hex digits, so it is not valid percent-encoding.
Is a plus sign a space?
In a form query string yes. The decoder turns + into a space. In a path, + is a plus.