Free, browser-based utilities for everyday developer workflows

Decode URL query string online

Decode percent-encoded query strings so you can read the real values — spaces, slashes, and nested redirect URLs hidden behind %20, %2F, and %3A.

Decode this URL query string

Opens URL Parser with this example preloaded. Everything runs locally in your browser.

Decode this URL query string →

The problem

Encoded values are hard to read and easy to mishandle. Decoding each parameter reveals the actual content, including full redirect URLs encoded inside a single parameter.

Sample input

Encoded URL
https://example.com/search?q=hello%20world&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.example.com%2Fhome

Expected output

Decoded parameters
q        = hello world
redirect = https://app.example.com/home

%20 decodes to a space and %3A%2F%2F decodes to ://, revealing the nested redirect URL.

How to do it

  1. Paste the URL or query string.
  2. Decode the percent-encoded values.
  3. Inspect each parameter.
  4. Copy the decoded values you need.
  5. Re-encode if you are putting values back into a URL.

Common mistakes

  • Decoding the whole URL multiple times, corrupting already-decoded characters.
  • Breaking a nested redirect URL by decoding it too aggressively.
  • Treating + as a literal plus when it means a space in a query string.
  • Leaving encoded slashes unread.
  • Copying an unsafe redirect URL without checking where it points.

Related tools

Related guides

FAQ

What does %20 mean in a URL?

It is the percent-encoding for a space character. In a query string a + can also represent a space.

How do I decode a query string?

Paste it into the parser and decode; each percent-encoded value is converted back to its original characters.

What is percent encoding?

A scheme that represents reserved or non-ASCII characters as a % followed by two hex digits, so they can travel safely in a URL.

Should I decode a URL more than once?

No. Double-decoding can turn legitimate characters into something else and corrupt values like nested URLs.

What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?

encodeURI keeps URL structure characters (: / ? &) intact, while encodeURIComponent encodes them too, which is what you want for a single parameter value.

Decoding runs locally in your browser. The URL is not sent to a server.