URL Decoder

Decode percent-encoded URLs back into readable text.

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How to Use

  1. 1Paste an encoded URL or string into the input box.
  2. 2Click "Decode".
  3. 3Copy the decoded text.

Features

  • Standard percent-decoding (decodeURIComponent)
  • Clear error message for malformed input
  • Copy result with one click

Example

Input

search%3Fq%3Dpdf%20tools

Output

search?q=pdf tools

Convert percent-encoded URL strings back into human-readable text instantly in your browser.

Make encoded URLs readable

Links copied from search results, tracking emails, redirects and logs are often full of %20, %3A and %2F. The decoder turns those sequences back into the characters they represent, so you can see exactly where a link goes and what parameters it carries.

Useful for

  • Inspecting tracking and redirect links before clicking, to see the real destination hidden in a parameter.
  • Debugging web applications, by reading query strings and form data as the server receives them.
  • Reading log files where URLs are stored encoded.
  • Recovering non-English text from a URL, such as a search term in Nepali or Japanese.

When decoding fails

A % must be followed by two hexadecimal digits that form valid UTF-8. Text like 100% or a sequence cut in half produces a “malformed” error. Find the stray % and replace it with %25, the encoded form of a percent sign, then decode again.

If a URL looks encoded twice, such as %2520 where %25 is the percent sign, decode it twice. Double encoding is a common bug when a value is encoded by both the browser and the application.

Plus signs are not converted to spaces. In HTML form submissions a + means a space, but in other parts of a URL it is a literal plus. Replace + with a space yourself if you are decoding form data.

Frequently Asked Questions