URL Decode Online | Percent Decoder for Text

Q: Does the tool decode repeatedly until the text is readable?

No. It performs one pass. A doubly encoded sequence such as %2520 becomes %20, so inspect the result before deliberately decoding again.

Q: What happens to an invalid percent escape?

Malformed sequences such as %ZZ or an incomplete %2 are preserved. The operation does not reject the whole input solely because of those escapes.

Q: Can this read percent-encoded non-English text?

Yes, when the encoded bytes form valid UTF-8. Bytes from another character encoding may display incorrectly; the visible Input Encoding: selector does not change this operation.

Q: Will URL decoding open the address?

No. The form transforms the entered string and displays text. It does not visit the decoded address, test the destination, or verify that a link is safe.

Q: Should I decode a whole URL or one query value?

A single component is usually easier to inspect without confusing encoded data with structural delimiters. A whole URL can be entered as text, but decoded reserved characters may change how it would be interpreted.

URL Decode converts percent-encoded bytes into readable UTF-8 text. Use this percent decoder to inspect an encoded path segment or query value. It performs one decoding pass and keeps a literal plus sign as +.

Auto / Live

URL Encoded String

Input Encoding:

Decoded URL String

How to use URL Decode

Follow these steps to check the input and read the result.

Read percent-encoded text

Type or paste the percent-encoded value you want to inspect into URL Encoded String.
Leave Input Encoding: at UTF-8. The current operation reads the entered string directly; this selector does not change percent-decoding behavior.
Keep Auto / Live on to update the result as you edit. To process it manually, turn Auto / Live off and click Run.
Read Decoded URL String and check the result before using it.
Click Copy to copy the result. Use Clear where shown, or a field’s clear control, to clear the text before starting again.

Enter hello%20world%2B to get hello world+. Input a+b stays a+b; it is not converted to a b.

Decode a component in context

Decoding an encoded delimiter can change its meaning if you paste it back into a URL. For example, %26 becomes an ampersand. Inspect an individual value before deciding how to use it in a complete address.

Recognize a single decoding pass

Input %2520 becomes %20 after one pass. Malformed escapes such as %ZZ remain as entered. This behavior follows raw percent decoding rather than a strict decodeURIComponent error path.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a plus sign stay a plus sign?

This tool uses raw percent-decoding behavior. It does not apply the form-urlencoded rule that treats + as a space. An encoded space such as %20 does become a space.

Does the tool decode repeatedly until the text is readable?

What happens to an invalid percent escape?

Can this read percent-encoded non-English text?

Will URL decoding open the address?

Should I decode a whole URL or one query value?

API — Percent Decoder

Automate this tool directly from your scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or backend applications via HTTP POST.

No API Key Required 60 req/min

POST https://million.tools/api/v1/run/url-decode

Request Parameters (JSON / Form Data)

start (or input)

URL Encoded String

Type: string Default: —
input_encoding

Input Encoding

hex hex_ignore_non_hex base64 utf-8 utf-16le utf-16be windows-1251 windows-1252

Type: string Default: utf-8

bash — cURL

curl -X POST https://million.tools/api/v1/run/url-decode \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"start":"a+b%20%2F%3F%3D%zz"}'

const response = await fetch('https://million.tools/api/v1/run/url-decode', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
      "start": "a+b%20%2F%3F%3D%zz"
  }),
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data.result);

import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://million.tools/api/v1/run/url-decode',
    json={
        "start": "a+b%20%2F%3F%3D%zz",
    },
    timeout=15,
)

data = response.json()
print(data['result'])

$ch = curl_init('https://million.tools/api/v1/run/url-decode');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST           => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER     => ['Content-Type: application/json'],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS     => json_encode([
        'start' => 'a+b%20%2F%3F%3D%zz',
    ]),
]);

$response = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);
curl_close($ch);

echo $response['result'] ?? '';

{
    "status": "success",
    "tool": "url-decode",
    "service": "url_decode",
    "result": "a+b /?=%zz",
    "results": {
        "result": "a+b /?=%zz"
    }
}

Egor Volchenko Developer & Author

Hi! I’m a WordPress developer with over 10 years of experience. I love Tailwind CSS, clean code, and intuitive interfaces. I’m currently working on million.tools — a service with convenient online tools for everyday tasks. I’m building it from scratch with great attention to detail and user experience.

URL Decode