🔓 URL Decoder
Decode percent‑encoded URLs, query strings, and form data instantly — free, client‑side, and privacy‑focused.
%20 → Space
%26 → &
UTF-8 Support
📋 Copy Result
hello%20world
URL with params
UTF-8 (über cool)
Special chars
🔍 What is URL Decoding?
URL decoding is the process of converting percent‑encoded characters back to their original representation. Percent encoding replaces unsafe or reserved characters with a % followed by two hexadecimal digits. Decoding reverses this, allowing you to read the original text.
For example:
hello%20world→hello worldhttps%3A%2F%2Fexample.com→https://example.com%C3%A9t%C3%A9→été(UTF‑8)
⚙️ How This Tool Works
This decoder uses JavaScript's built‑in decodeURIComponent() function, which follows the standard RFC 3986 for percent decoding. It handles:
- Standard ASCII percent encoding (
%20,%26,%3D, etc.) - UTF‑8 multi‑byte characters (e.g.,
%C3%A9for "é") - Reserved characters like
/,?,#,&
All decoding happens locally in your browser — no data is ever sent to any server.
📊 Common Encoded Characters & Their Decoded Forms
| Encoded | Decoded | Description |
|---|---|---|
| %20 | space | Space |
| %21 | ! | Exclamation |
| %22 | " | Double quote |
| %23 | # | Hash |
| %24 | $ | Dollar |
| %25 | % | Percent |
| %26 | & | Ampersand |
| %27 | ' | Single quote |
| %28 | ( | Left parenthesis |
| %29 | ) | Right parenthesis |
| %2B | + | Plus |
| %2F | / | Forward slash |
| %3A | : | Colon |
| %3B | ; | Semicolon |
| %3D | = | Equals |
| %3F | ? | Question mark |
| %40 | @ | At symbol |
| %C3%A9 | é | e acute (UTF‑8) |
⚠️ When to Use URL Decoding
- Web development – decode query parameters from
window.location.searchor API responses. - Data analysis – clean URL‑encoded logs or CSV fields.
- Form processing – decode
application/x-www-form-urlencodedpayloads. - Security testing – examine encoded payloads for injection attempts.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
decodeURIComponent decodes a complete encoded component (like a query parameter value). decodeURI decodes a full URL but leaves reserved characters like / ? # intact. This tool uses decodeURIComponent because it's the most common use case.The most common error is an incomplete percent sequence (e.g.,
%2) or an invalid hex character (e.g., %GG). The tool will display a clear error message. Check your input for malformed encoding.Yes. Emojis are encoded as multiple percent‑encoded bytes in UTF-8. For example, the smiley face 😀 becomes
%F0%9F%98%80 when encoded. Our decoder restores the original emoji.