Free URL Decoder Online
Decode percent-encoded URLs and query strings in your browser instantly.
Input (percent-encoded)
Output (decoded)
URL Decoding Examples
Paste a percent-encoded URL or value to decode it back to readable text. Example:
Decode a percent-encoded URL
Input:
Decoded output:
What Is URL Decoding?
You've probably run into this before: you copy a URL from a log file or an analytics dashboard and it's full of %20, %26, and %3D sequences that make it completely unreadable. URL decoding (or percent decoding) converts those sequences back to the characters they represent. It's the reverse of the encoding rules defined in RFC 3986. This tool uses JavaScript's decodeURIComponent() under the hood, and also handles the +-as-space convention from HTML form encoding. Everything runs in your browser — nothing touches a server. To encode text to a URL-safe format, use the URL Encoder.
How to Use This Tool
Paste the Encoded URL
Paste any percent-encoded URL, query string, or value into the left editor. It may use %20 or + for spaces—both are handled. Query parameters are parsed in the same way as the browser's built-in URLSearchParams API. Sample fills in an encoded string so you can see the decoding happen.
Read the Decoded Output
Decoded text shows up on the right as soon as you paste. If the input contains an invalid % sequence, an error message is shown.
Copy or Download
Copy grabs the readable text for pasting elsewhere; Download saves it as url-decoded.txt. If you want the URL split into scheme, host, path and query instead, try the URL Parser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my data private?
Yes. Percent-escapes are turned back into characters by script on this page, so the URLs you paste never reach a server.
What does "invalid percent-encoded string" mean?
It means the input contains a % not followed by two valid hexadecimal digits (e.g., %GG or a lone % at the end). Valid hex digits are 0–9 and A–F as defined by the WHATWG URL standard. Check the input and ensure all percent sequences are well-formed.
Does it handle + as a space?
Yes. The + character represents a space in application/x-www-form-urlencoded format (HTML forms). This tool converts + to a space before decoding, matching the behavior of most server-side URL parsers. For the full list of registered URI schemes where this matters, see the IANA URI schemes registry.
Can I decode a full URL?
Yes. Paste the full URL including the scheme, host, path, and query string. The tool decodes all percent sequences. To parse the URL into its individual components, use the URL Parser.