URL Decoder
Decode percent-encoded URLs and query strings back to readable text
Input
Settings
Decodes URL-encoded text back to original format.
Output
About This Tool
URL decoding reverses percent-encoding: it turns sequences like %20, %3D, and %26 back into the space, equals sign, and ampersand they represent, so you can read what a URL, query string, or form submission actually contains. This is the everyday counterpart to encoding — you receive a percent-encoded string from a server log, an API response, a browser address bar, or a webhook payload, and need to see the real data behind it. This tool decodes standard percent-encoded text instantly in your browser, correctly handling both %20 and + as space depending on context, and flags malformed escape sequences immediately instead of silently guessing at broken input.
How to Use
Paste the percent-encoded text you want to decode into the input field — the decoded result appears immediately in the output. The tool recognizes standard percent-encoded sequences (%XX hex pairs) as well as + used for spaces in application/x-www-form-urlencoded data, such as query strings and form submissions. If the input contains an invalid or truncated percent-sequence, the tool reports a clear error instead of returning a partial or incorrect result. Copy the decoded output with one click, or switch to the encoder if you need to go the other direction.
Common Use Cases
Query String Inspection
Decode `q=hello%20world&category=shoes%2Bsneakers` to read the real search term and category.
Form Submission Debugging
Decode a logged application/x-www-form-urlencoded body like `name=John+Doe&email=john%40example.com` to recover the submitted values.
Browser URL Bar
Decode a percent-encoded address like `https://example.com/search?q=caf%C3%A9` to see the actual accented characters.
Webhook Payload Debugging
Decode percent-encoded fields inside an incoming webhook request to verify what a third-party service actually sent.
API Response Auditing
Decode a percent-encoded redirect URL or callback parameter to confirm it points where expected.
Limitations & Important Notes
Decoding requires well-formed percent-sequences — a stray % not followed by two valid hex digits, or a truncated sequence at the end of the string, triggers a clear decode error rather than a best-effort guess. This tool assumes UTF-8 byte sequences; percent-encoded bytes from other encodings may decode to unexpected characters. The + is only treated as a space in decode mode here, matching form-urlencoded conventions — if your data uses a literal +, encode it as %2B beforehand. Decoding recovers the exact original text, so treat decoded output from untrusted sources with the same caution as any user-supplied data.