Tutorials

URL Encoder & Decoder: a quick guide

Encode and decode URL-safe strings, including full Unicode and form-encoded values.

The ChrysoKit URL Encoder & Decoder handles both directions, with a switch for the two flavours of encoding you actually need: component (for query parameter values) or full URI (preserves URL structure).

Why use it

Knowing the right flavour for the right job avoids double-encoded URLs and broken query strings. The tool labels the modes the same way Javascript does (encodeURIComponent vs encodeURI), so you can pick by name.

How to use the URL Encoder & Decoder

  1. Pick the Encode tab to escape characters, or Decode to read an escaped string.
  2. Pick the mode: encodeURIComponent (full escape, for query values) or encodeURI (preserves URL structure).
  3. Paste your value.
  4. Copy the result back into your URL.

Features worth knowing

Two encoding modes

encodeURIComponent escapes everything that is not alphanumeric or one of a few safe punctuation marks, use it inside a query parameter value. encodeURI keeps reserved characters like /, ?, &, use it on whole URLs you want to remain readable.

Full Unicode

Accented characters, emojis and non-Latin scripts encode correctly using percent-encoded UTF-8 bytes.

Round-trip safe

Decoding the encoded output gives back exactly what you put in. No silent loss.

Pro tips

  • Use encodeURIComponent for query parameter values; use encodeURI for whole URLs you want to keep readable.
  • The '+' character means a space in form encoding but a literal plus in URL paths. Match the mode to the context.
  • Double-encoding is a common bug. If you see '%2520' anywhere, something has been encoded twice.

Privacy first. The URL Encoder runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you encode is uploaded.

Bookmark the URL Encoder next to the JSON Formatter; the two together cover most day-to-day debugging.

Open the tool: URL Encoder & Decoder →

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ChrysoKit Team

The team behind ChrysoKit. We build small, useful, fast, free tools for people who would rather get on with their day than fight a website.