Encode a value, not the whole URL

A URL has structural characters such as colon, slash, question mark, and ampersand. When those characters are part of a parameter value, encoding stops them being mistaken for separators. For example, the value tea & coffee becomes tea%20%26%20coffee. If you encode an entire https:// address as one component, its slashes and colon are encoded too. That is appropriate only when the whole address is itself a parameter value.

Spaces, plus signs, and repeated encoding

This tool follows encodeURIComponent and decodeURIComponent. A space becomes %20; a literal plus sign remains a plus when decoding. Some form encodings use plus to mean space, which is a different convention. Encoding a percent sign creates %25, so encoding an already encoded value can double-encode it. Know what your receiving application expects before repeating the operation.

Decoding does not verify a link

A readable decoded value can still be misleading, malicious, or incorrect. This tool does not open URLs or check a destination. Malformed percent escapes and invalid encoded UTF-8 are reported rather than silently repaired. It is useful for debugging a parameter, checking a path segment, or building a small example; use a URL-building API in production application code.

Worked examples

Input	Operation	Output
tea & coffee	Encode	tea%20%26%20coffee
hello%20world	Decode	hello world

Good questions.

Does a plus sign decode to a space?

No. Component decoding leaves a literal plus sign unchanged. Form-urlencoded data uses an additional convention.

Can I encode a full address?

You can, but every structural separator is encoded. Use this mode when that full address is a single parameter value.

Does decoding open the URL?

No. It only transforms text locally.

References & further reading

MDN: encodeURIComponent

Updated 5 November 2026 · Methods & corrections

URL component encoder