About the URL Decoder
Encoded URLs are hard to read: caf%C3%A9%20menu is simply “café menu”. This decoder converts every percent-encoded sequence back into its original character, including accented letters and emoji encoded as UTF-8.
Web forms and many analytics tools encode spaces as plus signs, so the Treat + as a space option is ticked by default. Untick it if your text contains real plus signs that should be kept. If the input contains a broken sequence, such as a lone %, you will see a clear error rather than garbled output.
How to use it
- Paste the encoded URL or text.
- Choose whether plus signs mean spaces.
- Click Decode URL and copy the result.
Example
https://example.com/search?q=caf%C3%A9+%26+tea&page=2
https://example.com/search?q=café & tea&page=2
When to use it
- Reading tracking links and UTM parameters.
- Debugging API requests and redirects.
- Recovering search terms from analytics reports.
- Making encoded links readable before sharing them.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I get an error?
A percent sign must be followed by two hexadecimal digits, and multi-byte characters must be complete. Check for a stray “%” or a cut-off link.
Is it safe to decode unknown links?
Yes. Decoding only changes text, and nothing is opened or visited.
What if the text was encoded twice?
Run the decoder again on the result.
Is the text I enter kept private?
Yes. The URL Decoder runs entirely in your web browser, so your text is never uploaded to or stored on our servers. Like most free websites, TextForge shows ads from Google, which may use cookies. See our Privacy Policy for details.