URL Encoder & Decoder

How the URL Encoder & Decoder Works

The DwellixTools URL Encoder & Decoder is a free browser-based utility that encodes plain text, characters, or full URLs into their percent-encoded format, or decodes percent-encoded text back into human-readable characters.

URL encoding (also known as percent-encoding) is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) under specific circumstances. The tool operates 100% locally in your browser, ensuring no data ever leaves your computer.

Understanding URL Encoding Formats

URIs use a restricted set of characters. When you pass data in a URL query string (such as in search bars or form submissions), any character outside this safe set must be encoded.

1. Encode Component vs Encode Full URI

Our tool supports two different encoding algorithms:

• Encode Component (encodeURIComponent): Encodes all non-standard characters, including punctuation and symbols like /, ?, :, &, =, and +. Use this when you are encoding a single query parameter value.
• Encode Full URI (encodeURI): Encodes characters but keeps functional URL characters like http://, /, ?, =, and & unencoded. Use this when you want to make an entire web link copy-paste safe.

2. Space as %20 vs Plus (+)

By default, standard URI component encoding converts space characters to %20. However, query strings in form submissions (application/x-www-form-urlencoded) represent spaces using the plus symbol (+). Our tool offers a checkbox toggle to instantly switch between these formats.

Percent-Encoding Quick Reference Chart

Below is a reference guide for how common special characters translate into their safe percent-encoded equivalents:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What characters are safe in a URL without encoding?

According to RFC 3986, characters that are always safe in a URL query include alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9) and a small group of unreserved symbols: hyphen (-), underscore (_), dot (.), and tilde (~).

Why do I need to encode URLs?

Browsers and servers parse specific characters to identify page paths, query variables, and protocols. If your parameters contain these characters (like passing test & demo as a value), they will break the URL structure unless they are converted to their percent-encoded format (test%20%26%20demo).

Is my input kept private?

Yes. All conversions are performed client-side inside your browser engine using local javascript functions. None of your inputs, URLs, or parameters are sent to our servers.