URL Decoder
Decode percent-encoded URLs and query strings back to plain text.
How it works
Percent-encoded URLs -- strings full of %20, %3A, %2F sequences -- are technically correct but hard for a human to read at a glance. This tool reverses that encoding using decodeURIComponent, turning a URL or query string back into its original, readable form.
This is useful when debugging a webhook payload, inspecting a redirect URL, or reading a log line where the URL was captured in its raw encoded form. Paste the encoded string and get back exactly what a browser would have sent before encoding.
Runs entirely in your browser; nothing you paste is transmitted anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What happens with malformed input?
You'll see a clear error instead of a crash if the percent-encoding is malformed -- for example, an incomplete %-sequence at the end of the string.
Can I decode a full URL, not just a query string?
Yes -- decodeURIComponent works on any percent-encoded text, whether it's a full URL, just the query string, or a single parameter value.
Why does %20 turn into a space?
20 is the hexadecimal ASCII code for the space character, which isn't allowed unencoded in a URL -- this is the standard percent-encoding scheme (RFC 3986).