URL Decode

The URL Decode tool converts percent-encoded URLs back to readable text format. Essential for web developers working with encoded URLs, query parameters, and form data processing.

Key Features

• Multiple Decode Modes: Standard, component, and aggressive decoding options
• Bidirectional: Both decode and encode URL strings
• Real-time Processing: Instant decoding with detailed statistics
• Error Handling: Graceful handling of malformed encoded strings
• Character Analysis: Shows decoding ratios and character counts

How to Use URL Decode

1. Paste your percent-encoded URL or text into the input area
2. Select the appropriate decoding mode
3. Click "Decode URL" to convert to readable format
4. Use "Encode URL" to reverse the process
5. Copy the decoded result for use in your applications

Decoding Modes

Standard Decoding handles typical URL encoding using decodeURIComponent. Component Decoding processes URL components safely. Aggressive Decoding attempts multiple decoding passes for heavily encoded content.

Common Use Cases

URL decoding is essential when processing query parameters from web forms, analyzing server logs, debugging API requests, handling search queries, processing referrer URLs, and working with user-generated content that may contain encoded characters.

Understanding Percent Encoding

Percent encoding represents special characters using % followed by two hexadecimal digits. Common encodings include %20 for space, %26 for ampersand, and %3F for question mark. Proper decoding ensures URLs display correctly and function as intended.

Best Practices

Always validate decoded URLs before use, be aware of potential security implications with user input, handle decoding errors gracefully, and test with various encoding scenarios. Use appropriate decoding modes based on your specific use case.

Related Tools

Complete your web development toolkit with our related encoding tools: URL Encode for the reverse process, HTML Decode for web content, HTML Encode for encoding, and Base64 Decode for data decoding. For text manipulation, explore our Case Converter.