BracketURL Encoder & Decoder
Encode text or full URLs into percent-encoded form, or decode them back to readable text, instantly. 100% client-side.
🔒 Runs entirely in your browser — no data is ever sent anywhereWhen you need to encode or decode a URL
Any value placed inside a URL — a search query, a path segment, a value in a form submission — needs encoding whenever it might contain a character with special meaning to the URL format itself: a space, '&', '?', '#', or a non-ASCII character. Skip that step and the URL either breaks outright or silently gets parsed wrong (a '&' inside a value getting read as a new parameter, for instance). This tool is also useful in reverse — decoding a percent-encoded string from a webhook payload, a browser address bar, or a log file back into something readable.
encodeURIComponent vs encodeURI, and non-ASCII characters
This tool uses JavaScript's encodeURIComponent, which aggressively escapes almost everything except unreserved characters (letters, digits, '-', '_', '.', '~') — correct for encoding one query parameter or path segment, since it also escapes characters like '&', '=', and '/' that would otherwise be misread as URL structure. Its cousin encodeURI (not used here) is meant for encoding a whole URL rather than one piece of it, so it deliberately leaves those structural characters alone. Non-ASCII characters — accented letters, emoji, non-Latin scripts — are first converted to their UTF-8 byte sequence and each byte percent-encoded separately, exactly matching how a real browser encodes a URL, so an emoji becomes several %XX groups rather than one.
Frequently asked questions
When do I need to URL-encode a string?
Whenever a value is placed inside a URL — a query parameter, path segment, or form submission — and might contain reserved characters like spaces, '&', '?', or '#' that would otherwise be misinterpreted as part of the URL's structure.
What's the difference between encodeURIComponent and encodeURI?
This tool uses encodeURIComponent, which escapes nearly everything except unreserved characters — correct for encoding a single query parameter or path segment. encodeURI (not used here) preserves characters like '/', ':', and '?' since it's meant for encoding a whole URL, not a component of one.
Does it handle emoji and non-ASCII characters?
Yes — non-ASCII characters are encoded as their UTF-8 byte sequence in percent-encoded form (e.g. an emoji becomes multiple %XX groups), matching how browsers actually encode URLs.
Related Encoding tools
Bracketly is free and open-source. If this tool saved you time, consider supporting it.
☕ Buy me a coffee