Component: escapes ? & = / and spaces (for a single query value or path segment).
Percent-encoding replaces unsafe bytes with % + their hex value (a space becomes %20). Parsing and encoding happen in your browser.
How to encode and decode URLs
Choose Encode or Decode. For encoding, pick Component to escape a single value (the safe default for a query parameter), or Whole URL to encode an address while leaving its structure usable. Paste a complete URL and the anatomy panel splits it into scheme, host, port, path, query and fragment, and lists each query parameter with its decoded value.
Common uses
Encoding search terms and filters into query strings, building correct redirect and callback URLs for OAuth, debugging tracking/UTM parameters, and decoding logged URLs to see what a request actually contained. Getting the component-vs-whole distinction right is what prevents broken links and lost parameters.
🔐 Private: all processing is in-browser. For web hosting, DNS and application support, talk to Servnet — UK-based since 2001.
URL encoding — common questions
What is URL (percent) encoding?
URLs may only contain a limited set of characters, so anything else — spaces, &, =, ?, non-ASCII letters — is replaced by a “%” followed by the byte’s hex value. A space becomes %20, an ampersand becomes %26. Decoding reverses this.
Component vs whole-URL encoding — which do I use?
Use “Component” when encoding a single piece that goes inside a URL, like one query-string value or path segment; it escapes structural characters such as & = / ?. Use “Whole URL” to encode an entire URL while keeping :// ? & intact so the URL still works.
Why did my "+" become a space when decoding?
In query strings, “+” traditionally means a space (from form encoding). This decoder treats + as a space so form-style values decode as expected; %2B is a literal plus sign.
Can it break a URL into its parts?
Yes. Paste a full URL and the anatomy diagram shows the scheme, host, port, path, query and fragment, and the query parameters are listed with their decoded values.
Why does encoding matter for SEO and tracking?
Incorrectly encoded URLs break links, lose query parameters and can split analytics. Properly encoded UTM and campaign parameters ensure clicks are attributed and pages resolve correctly.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. Encoding, decoding and URL parsing all happen in your browser, so you can safely work with URLs that contain tokens or personal data.