URL decoding, also known as percent encoding, is the process of converting encoded data back into its original format. URL encoding is used when putting data into a URL's query string or path segment. Some characters are reserved for special use and need to be encoded so that they don't interfere with the parsing of a URL. When these characters are encoded, they are replaced with a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits corresponding to the character's code point in ISO-8859-1. For example, the space character ( ) is encoded as %20. The plus sign (+) is encoded as %2B. These two characters have different meanings in a query string, so it's important to encode them correctly. URL decoding is often needed when retrieving data from a web server. The data may be encoded in order to transmit it across the network properly. When the data arrives at the server, it needs to be decoded before it can be used. Many web developers use URL encoding/decoding functions built into their programming language's standard library. For example, in PHP, you can use the urldecode() function. You can use an online decoder like ours if you need to decode a URL and don't have access to a programming language's standard library. Simply enter the encoded URL into the "URL to decode" field and click "Decode." The decoded URL will appear in the "Decoded URL" field.