What is URL decoding?

URL decoding converts percent-encoded characters back to their original form. For example, %20 becomes a space, and %26 becomes &.

Why are URLs encoded?

URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters. Special characters, spaces, and non-ASCII characters must be encoded for safe transmission.

Can I decode double-encoded URLs?

Yes, run the decoder multiple times if your URL has been encoded more than once. Double encoding happens when an already-encoded URL is encoded again.

URL Decoder

What Is a URL Decoder?

A URL decoder reverses the process of percent-encoding, converting sequences like %20 back into a readable space, %26 back into an ampersand, and %2F back into a forward slash. When you receive a URL from a browser address bar, a server log, or an API response, the encoded version can be difficult to read and debug. Decoding it reveals the original, human-readable string — making it easy to understand what parameters were passed, what search terms were used, or what file paths are being requested. URL decoding is also essential when processing incoming HTTP requests on the server side, parsing analytics data, auditing redirect chains, or troubleshooting 400 Bad Request errors caused by malformed URLs. This tool supports both application/x-www-form-urlencoded format (which converts + to spaces) and standard percent-encoding (RFC 3986).

How to Use the URL Decoder

Paste the encoded URL or string into the input field. You can paste a full URL with encoded query parameters or just an individual encoded value.
Click "Decode" to instantly convert all percent-encoded sequences back into their original characters.
Read or copy the decoded output — the plain-text result is displayed immediately and can be copied with one click.

The decoder safely handles malformed sequences without crashing, making it ideal for debugging and data inspection tasks.

Common Use Cases

Debugging broken URLs: Instantly decode a URL from a server log or error report to understand what was actually requested.
Reading analytics data: Decode URL-encoded campaign parameters, referral strings, and tracking values in your analytics dashboard.
API troubleshooting: Decode encoded request bodies or query strings from API logs to pinpoint parameter issues.
SEO auditing: Decode encoded redirect chains and canonical URLs to verify they resolve to the correct destination.
Data extraction: Decode encoded values scraped from web pages or stored in databases to recover the original content.
Security analysis: Decode obfuscated URLs in phishing emails or suspicious links to reveal their true destination.