URL Decoder — Decode Percent-Encoded Strings
Decode percent-encoded URL strings back to readable text. Instantly reveal the original characters hidden behind %XX sequences in query parameters and paths.
Reading Encoded URLs
Marketing links, analytics trackers, and OAuth redirect URIs often contain heavily encoded query parameters that are unreadable to the human eye. Decoding them reveals the actual destination, parameter values, and tracking data. This is essential for debugging authentication flows, auditing analytics tags, and understanding redirect chains.
Handling Plus Signs in URLs
In the application/x-www-form-urlencoded format (used by HTML forms), spaces are encoded as + rather than %20. This tool correctly interprets + as a space when decoding form data. You can toggle this behavior off if you need to preserve literal plus signs.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can paste either. The tool decodes all percent-encoded sequences it finds. If you paste a full URL, the structural characters (://?&#) are preserved while encoded values within components are decoded.
Double encoding occurs when a percent sign itself gets encoded (e.g., %2520 instead of %20). The tool detects this and offers a 'Decode Again' button to iteratively decode until the final plain-text result is reached.