Key takeaways
- URL Encoder / Decoder converts text with spaces or special characters into a URL-safe format (and back).
- Useful when building a link with a query parameter that contains spaces, symbols, or non-English characters.
- A URL like `?q=hello world` isn't valid as-is — encoding turns the space into `%20` or `+` so it's handled correctly.
Encoding or decoding
Paste your text into URL Encoder / Decoder and switch between encode and decode — useful both for building a link yourself and for reading a long, encoded URL someone sent you.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I sometimes see %20 and sometimes + for a space in a URL?
Both represent an encoded space, but in slightly different contexts — %20 is the general-purpose encoding, while + is specifically used within a URL's query string in some conventions. Either is typically handled correctly by modern web servers.
Does this affect the actual webpage content, or just the link?
Just the link/URL itself — this tool doesn't touch any page content, only the text you paste into it.