Encode / Decode

URL Decode

Decode percent-encoded URLs and query strings back to readable text — free, instant and private, entirely in your browser.

Output

100% in your browser — nothing you type is ever uploaded.

How to URL decode text

  1. Paste your percent-encoded text into the input box above.
  2. The decoded plain text appears instantly in the output box.
  3. Click Copy to copy the decoded text to your clipboard.

What this tool does

This tool reverses percent-encoding back to readable text. Every %XX sequence is converted back to the byte it represents and the result is decoded as UTF-8, so accented letters and other non-ASCII characters come back intact.

Common reasons to URL decode text

  • Reading a query string parameter while debugging a request or a link.
  • Inspecting a redirect URL that has another URL embedded as a parameter.
  • Recovering the original search term or free-text value a user typed into a form.
  • Checking that your own encoding logic round-trips correctly.

Related tools

  • URL Encode — convert plain text into a percent-encoded string.
  • Base64 Decode — decode Base64 text instead of percent-encoding.

Frequently asked questions

Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. The decoding happens locally in your browser using the standard decodeURIComponent function. Nothing is sent to a server.
What does URL decoding actually do?
It reverses percent-encoding: every %XX sequence is converted back to the byte it represents, and the bytes are read as UTF-8 text — so %20 becomes a space, %26 becomes &, and so on.
What happens if I paste an invalid percent-encoded string?
The tool shows a clear error message instead of garbage output. This usually means a stray % that is not followed by two valid hex digits.
Does this decode a plus sign as a space?
No. This tool follows strict URL-component decoding, where + is a literal plus sign. If your text came from a form body (application/x-www-form-urlencoded), replace + with a space before decoding to get the original value.
Can I decode a full URL, not just one value?
Yes, pasting a full URL works fine — only the percent-escaped parts change, so protocol, slashes and unencoded characters pass through unchanged.
Is URL decoding reversible?
Yes. Use the URL Encode tool to turn the plain text back into a percent-encoded string.