What's the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?

encodeURI encodes a full URL and leaves characters like /, ?, #, and & intact. encodeURIComponent encodes everything except letters, digits, and - _ . ~ — it's used for individual query parameter values.

Why are spaces encoded as %20 or +?

Spaces in URL paths use %20. In query strings, the older application/x-www-form-urlencoded format uses + for spaces. Both are valid in their respective contexts; %20 is technically more correct.

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Developer Tools

URL Encoder / Decoder

Encode special characters for safe URL usage, or decode percent-encoded URLs back to readable text.

Last updated July 1, 2026

How to use URL Encoder / Decoder

1Select 'Encode' to convert text to URL-safe format, or 'Decode' to reverse it.
2Paste your text or URL into the input field.
3Copy the output with one click.

Why use this tool

Handles full URLs and individual components separately.
Supports both encodeURI (full URL) and encodeURIComponent (query param) modes.
Instant encoding with no round-trips to a server.
Correctly handles Unicode characters and emoji in URLs.

Use cases

Building query strings

Encode user-submitted search terms before appending them to a URL so special characters like & or = don't break the query string.

Decoding redirect targets

Decode a deeply nested percent-encoded redirect URL to understand where a chain of redirects ultimately leads.