URL Decoder

Turn percent-encoded URLs back into readable text.

Free URL decoder. Decode percent-encoded URLs in full-URL or component mode, with friendly errors for malformed sequences, all in your browser.

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About URL Decoder

Click a link in an email or inspect a redirect chain and you'll often see URLs stuffed with percent signs: %20 where spaces should be, %3A for colons, long runs of %E2%80%99 hiding an apostrophe. That's percent-encoding, and this tool translates it back into readable text. Paste the encoded string, pick Full URL or Component mode, and get the human version instantly.

It's built for debugging: tracing where a redirect actually lands, reading the parameters an API callback carried, pulling a search query out of an analytics URL, or understanding what a tracking link recorded. Full URL mode decodes while respecting the address's structure; Component mode decodes aggressively, the way a single query value would be handled. Malformed input gets a friendly error pointing at the problem instead of a cryptic failure.

Watch out for double-decoding: decoding an already-decoded string can corrupt it, because a literal %25 (an encoded percent sign) becomes a bare % that then looks like a new sequence. And a plus sign in a query string traditionally means a space, if you see pluses surviving the decode, that's why. When in doubt, decode once and compare against the original.

How to use URL Decoder

  1. Pick Full URL or Component decoding mode.
  2. Paste the encoded text and click Decode.
  3. Copy the readable result.

Why use this tool?

  • Friendly errors for stray or truncated % sequences
  • Two modes matching the URL Encoder

Tips for best results

  • Decode once: running the output through the decoder a second time can corrupt sequences like %25, one pass is enough.
  • Pick the right mode: Full URL for whole addresses, Component for a single value pulled out of a query string.
  • Read the error: a 'malformed sequence' message means a % is followed by fewer than two hex digits, fix the stray % and retry.
  • Plus means space: in form-encoded query strings, + represents a space, so don't be surprised when pluses remain after decoding.
  • Pair it with the encoder: decode to inspect, then use the URL Encoder to rebuild a clean, valid link.

Frequently asked questions

I get an error about a malformed sequence. Why?
A % is probably followed by fewer than two hex digits (like %2 or a stray %). Fix it and try again.
Is my input uploaded?
No. Decoding happens locally in your browser.
How do I encode instead?
Use the URL Encoder tool.
What's the difference between Full URL and Component mode?
Full URL mode decodes a complete address while respecting its structure; Component mode decodes a single value aggressively, matching how query parameters are encoded.
Why do I still see plus signs after decoding?
In form-encoded query strings a plus sign represents a space. The decoder leaves them as-is so you can see exactly what the original contained.

Related tools

URL EncoderPercent-encode URLs or query values safely. URL ParserTake any URL apart, piece by piece. UTM BuilderTag campaign URLs without typos. Base64 DecoderDecode Base64 back to text or a file.