URL Decoder
Decode URL-encoded text — turn %20 and %3D back into readable characters.
How to use URL Decoder
- Paste the URL-encoded text — a full URL or just a parameter.
- Read the decoded result — %-codes become readable characters.
- Spot double-encoding — %2520 or visible %25 means it was encoded twice; decode again.
- Reverse it with the URL Encoder when you need to make text URL-safe.
What is URL Decoder?
A URL decoder converts percent-encoding back into readable characters: %20 → space, %3D → =, %2F → /, %C3%A9 → é. URLs can only safely contain a limited character set, so everything else is percent-encoded — and decoding reverses that to show the human-readable original.
Encoded URLs are everywhere you look closely: query strings packed with %-codes, redirect URLs containing other encoded URLs, tracking parameters, and API responses. Decoding makes them readable — turning ?q=hello%20world%26more into the obvious ?q=hello world&more.
About the URL Decoder
Paste URL-encoded text and read the decoded version instantly, in your browser.
Where decoding helps: reading query strings — debugging what parameters a URL actually carries (search terms, filters, IDs) when they're buried in %-codes; unwrapping nested URLs — redirect and tracking links often contain an entire encoded URL as a parameter (%2F becomes /, revealing the real destination); debugging forms and APIs — seeing the true values behind encoded submissions; and fixing broken links — spotting double-encoding (%2520 is an encoded %20 — the classic sign something encoded twice).
The mirror operation is URL Encoding (making text URL-safe). A note on the two encodings you'll meet: spaces appear as %20 (standard) or + (in query strings specifically) — both decode to space. Decoding is safe and local; nothing you paste is sent. Our URL Encoder handles the reverse, and the URL Parser breaks a full URL into its named components.