URL Decoder

About the URL Decoder

What is URL decoding?

Copy a link out of an address bar or a log and it's often full of codes like %20, %3D and %C3%A9. Those are percent-encoded characters — the safe way URLs carry spaces, symbols and accented letters. A URL decoder reverses that, turning the codes back into the real characters so the link is readable again.

This decoder converts as you type, correctly reassembling multi-byte UTF-8 sequences into the right characters and emoji. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing you paste is uploaded.

How to Use This Tool

1. Paste the encoded text or URL into the left box.
2. Read the result on the right — it updates instantly.
3. Choose a mode if needed: Component decodes everything (the usual choice); Full URL leaves reserved characters like %2F encoded.
4. Copy or download the decoded text.

Common Use Cases

• Reading links: make a long, encoded URL human-readable.
• Debugging: see the real query values an app received.
• Analytics & logs: decode UTM parameters and referrers.
• Fixing data: recover text that was stored percent-encoded.

Need to encode instead? Use the URL Encoder. Decoding a Base64 string or token? Try the Base64 Encoder and Decoder.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does %20 mean?

%20 is the percent-encoded form of a space. Each % is followed by two hex digits that represent one byte — so a space (byte 32, hex 20) becomes %20.

Why do I get an error?

Decoding fails if the text contains a lone % or an incomplete %XX sequence, because those aren't valid percent-encoding. Check the input for a stray percent sign and try again.

Does it restore accented characters and emoji?

Yes. Sequences like %C3%A9 are reassembled into their real UTF-8 character (here, é), and multi-byte emoji decode correctly too.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. All decoding happens in your browser with JavaScript, so your text never leaves your device.