URL Decoder
Decode percent-encoded URL text back to plain text in your browser.
Tool workspace
Decoding runs in your browser with decodeURIComponent (component rules). Invalid percent sequences show a message and clear the result. Nothing you paste is sent to our servers.
How it works
Empty input produces an empty result—no error. Invalid percent sequences (incomplete escapes like %2, non-hex like %ZZ, or invalid UTF-8 byte sequences) do not crash the page: the result is cleared and a calm status message explains the problem.
A lone "+" is left as "+" (this is not form-urlencoded decoding).
Results update as you type (light debounce) or when you press Convert. Decoding runs entirely in your browser.
Domain tests mirror decodeURIComponent via PHP rawurldecode after validating percent sequences and UTF-8, and cover round-trips with EncodeUrl.
Examples
- hello%20world → hello world
- a%26b%3Dc → a&b=c
- caf%C3%A9 → café
- path%2Fto%3Fq%3D1 → path/to?q=1
- %ZZ or %E9 → (cleared result + invalid-encoding message)
Privacy
FAQ
Is my text uploaded to a server?
No. URL decoding runs entirely in your browser. Pasted content is not sent to Nova Engine.
Do I need an account?
No. All published tools work for guests without login.
What happens with invalid percent-encoding?
decodeURIComponent rejects incomplete or malformed sequences. This tool clears the result and shows a short status message instead of crashing. Fix the input (or use the URL Encoder on plain text) and try again.
Does “+” become a space?
No. Component decoding leaves “+” as a plus sign. Only %20 becomes a space. Form-urlencoded “+ for space” is not applied.
Where are URL Encoder and HTML Entity Decoder?
They are companion Text tools in the URL & SEO group. Use Related tools when those pages are published, or browse the Text category hub.