URL Decoder
Decode percent-encoded URLs and query strings back to readable text.
A URL or query string full of %20 and %3D sequences is technically correct but unreadable at a glance, and decoding it by hand — mapping each percent-encoded sequence back to its character — is exactly the kind of mechanical task better handled instantly by a tool.
This decoder converts percent-encoded text back to its original readable form using the browser's built-in decodeURIComponent, correctly handling multi-byte unicode sequences (so encoded non-Latin text or emoji decode back accurately, not as garbled characters). Malformed percent-encoding — a truncated %-sequence or invalid byte pattern — is caught and reported clearly rather than throwing a cryptic error.
An Encode tab is included alongside Decode for the reverse operation, so you don't need to navigate to a separate tool if you need to go the other direction.
How to use URL Decoder
- 1
Paste your encoded text
Enter the percent-encoded URL or string you want to decode.
- 2
Read the decoded result
The decoded text updates live as you type.
- 3
Copy the output
Click Copy decoded to grab the result.
Features
- Correctly handles unicode and multi-byte encoded sequences
- Live decoding as you type
- Clear error messages for malformed percent-encoding
- Includes an Encode tab for the reverse operation
Frequently asked questions
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming a plus sign decodes to a space — that's a form-encoding convention, not standard URL percent-encoding.
- Decoding an already-decoded string, which does nothing if there's no percent-encoding left to process.
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