What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) replaces unsafe or reserved characters in a URL with a % followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the character's byte value. For example, a space becomes %20 and an ampersand becomes %26. This ensures URLs are transmitted correctly across the internet without ambiguity.
URL component breakdown
When you encode or decode a URL, this tool also parses it into its components: protocol, host, port, path, query string, and fragment. Query parameters are displayed in a table for easy inspection — useful when debugging API calls or tracking parameters.
When to use
Use URL encoding whenever you embed user input into URLs, construct API query strings, or pass data through URL parameters. Proper encoding prevents broken links, injection attacks, and data corruption. This tool processes everything in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.