Encode text to URL-safe percent-encoding format or decode URL-encoded strings back to readable text. All processing is done entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.
Select Encode to convert text to URL-safe format, or Decode to convert percent-encoded strings back to readable text.
Type or paste the text/URL into the input box. Stats update in real-time showing character, word, encoded length, and special character counts.
Click Encode/Decode to process, then copy the result or swap input with output. No registration needed.
The FreeNestTools URL Encoder & Decoder is a free, browser-based tool that converts text to URL-safe percent-encoding format and decodes percent-encoded strings back to readable text. It follows the RFC 3986 standard for Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) percent-encoding.
URL encoding, also known as percent-encoding, is a mechanism for encoding information in a URI. Certain characters must be encoded because they have special meanings in URIs — for example, the forward slash (/) separates path segments, the question mark (?) starts query strings, and the ampersand (&) separates query parameters. Spaces must be encoded as %20 because they are not allowed in URLs.
This tool is essential for web developers who need to construct URLs with query parameters, encode form data, or debug URL-related issues. API developers use it to encode and decode data sent via REST APIs. SEO professionals use it to ensure URLs are properly formatted for search engines. Security researchers analyze encoded payloads and parameters. QA testers validate URL encoding in web applications.
The tool uses encodeURIComponent for encoding, which encodes all characters except unreserved characters: A-Z a-z 0-9 - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ). For decoding, it uses decodeURIComponent, which converts all percent-encoded sequences back to their original characters. All special characters including spaces, slashes, colons, ampersands, question marks, hashes, and Unicode characters are properly encoded and decoded.
All processing happens entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your text is never uploaded to any server — it never leaves your device. This ensures your URLs and data remain completely private and secure. There are no registration, no hidden charges, and no usage limits.
Common use cases include encoding query parameter values for API calls, decoding URL-encoded form submissions, preparing data for GET and POST requests, converting spaces to %20 in file paths, encoding Unicode characters for international URLs, and debugging malformed URLs. The tool handles UTF-8 encoding correctly for all Unicode characters including emoji, non-Latin scripts, and special symbols. For working with Unicode representations, use the Unicode Converter.
Important note: Our encoder uses encodeURIComponent semantics, which is the appropriate choice for encoding query parameter values and path segments. If you need to preserve URI syntax characters like / ? # [ ] @, use the Decode mode to verify your existing URLs. For form submission data (application/x-www-form-urlencoded), spaces should be encoded as %20 (our tool) or + (traditional form encoding). Our tool uses %20 for spaces.