URL Encoding Explained: How to Fix Broken Links and API Errors

The Anatomy of a URL

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) can only use a specific set of characters (ASCII). If you try to put a space, a special symbol (like & or ?), or a non-English character into a URL, it breaks.

To solve this, the web uses Percent-Encoding. A space becomes %20. A comma becomes %2C. This ensures that the data travels safely across the internet.

When Do You Need Encoding?

• Query Parameters: If you are sending search terms or data via a URL (e.g., ?q=hello world), it typically needs to be encoded.
• UTM Tags: Marketing links often contain complex parameters that must be valid.
• API Debugging: When testing REST APIs, raw JSON or strings passed in URLs must be encoded.

Debugging with URL Tools

Have you ever received a link that looks like a mess of percent signs? Use our URL Decoder to turn it back into readable text. Conversely, if you are building an app and need to construct a safe link, use the Encoder to sanitize your inputs.

For creating clean, user-friendly URLs for your blog posts, use the Slug Generator instead, which replaces spaces with hyphens for better SEO.

Fix your links instantly with the URL Encoder / Decoder.