URL Decode
Decode percent-encoded text (%20, %3D, %E0%AA%A8…) from a URL or query string back into readable text, JSON, XML or YAML. Malformed sequences are reported clearly. Runs in your browser.
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About URL Decode
URL Decode converts percent-encoded text (%20, %3D, %E0%AA%95…) back into readable characters. It is ideal for reading query parameters, redirect URLs, tracking links and logs, including URL-encoded JSON, XML or YAML.
A + is treated as a space (as in HTML form data), and malformed sequences are reported instead of producing broken text. It runs entirely in your browser, so nothing you paste is uploaded.
How to use URL Decode
- Paste the encoded text or URL.
- Press Convert.
- Copy the decoded text.
Key features
- Decodes UTF-8 percent-encoding
- + decoded as a space
- Clear error for malformed input
- Encode again with URL Encode
Example
A query string containing Gujarati text, decoded.
name%3DAsha%20Patel%26city%3D%E0%AA%B8%E0%AB%81%E0%AA%B0%E0%AA%A4
name=Asha Patel&city=સુરત
When to use URL Decode
- Reading the parameters of a long tracking or redirect link.
- Debugging query strings in server logs.
- Recovering readable text from percent-encoded form data.
Tips and common problems
- If the result still contains %xx codes, decode it again — it was encoded twice.
- A cut-off link can contain a broken %-sequence that cannot be decoded.
- A literal + becomes a space; real plus signs should be sent as %2B.
Frequently asked questions
It may have been encoded twice. Decode the result again.
A % is not followed by two hexadecimal digits, or the bytes are not valid UTF-8 — often because the URL was cut off.
No, + becomes a space. A real plus sign in a URL should be encoded as %2B.
Guides
- UTF-8 and Garbled Text, Explained — Why Gujarati, Hindi, ₹ and accented letters turn into symbols like ઠor ₹, what UTF-8 and a BOM are, and how to fix garbled text in files and CSVs.