URL Decode

What does URL decoding do?

URL decoding reverses percent-encoding by converting sequences such as %20 back to their represented bytes and characters. This tool uses JavaScript decodeURIComponent and is intended for decoding an individual URL component.

Examples:

• hello%20world becomes hello world
• name%3DJane%20Doe becomes name=Jane Doe
• %E5%8F%B0%E5%8C%97 becomes 台北

The encoding rules and reserved character set are described in RFC 3986.

How to decode a URL component

Paste a percent-encoded value and select Decode. A valid escape contains % followed by exactly two hexadecimal digits. UTF-8 characters are commonly represented by multiple encoded bytes, and the complete byte sequence must be present for decoding to succeed.

Parse a complete URL into its components before decoding component data. Decoding reserved characters too early can turn encoded data into delimiters and change how a URL is interpreted.

URL decoding FAQ

Why does decoding fail?

The input may contain a lone percent sign, a non-hexadecimal escape, or an incomplete or invalid UTF-8 byte sequence. Check that the value has not been truncated and was encoded using a compatible character encoding.

Does this tool convert + to a space?

No. JavaScript decodeURIComponent leaves + unchanged. HTML form query data often uses + for a space, so form decoding may require replacing plus signs with spaces before percent-decoding.

Should I decode a value more than once?

Normally, no. Repeated decoding can change data unexpectedly and may cause an encoded percent sign to be treated as the start of another escape sequence.

How do I create a percent-encoded value?

Use the URL Encode tool to encode text as a URL component.