How to URL-Decode a Percent-Encoded String

A query parameter full of %20 and %3D sequences, a URL copied from browser history that's unreadable at a glance, a percent-encoded value from an API — decoding it back to plain text is usually straightforward, except when the input isn't actually valid percent-encoding to begin with.

The Malformed Input Problem

A percent sign in URL-encoded text is always supposed to be followed by exactly two hexadecimal digits — %20, %3F, %C3%A0. If a decoder encounters a bare % not followed by valid hex digits (which happens more often than you'd expect — a literal % in text that wasn't meant to be encoded, or a copy-paste that got cut off), the standard approach throws an error rather than guessing. QR Ivify's URL Decoder catches that and reports it as a clear message instead of the page crashing or silently producing garbled text.

Step by Step

1. Open the URL Decoder.
2. Paste percent-encoded text into the box.
3. Click "Decode."
4. Copy the decoded result.

A Worked Example

Input: https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dhello%20world

Output: https://example.com/search?q=hello world

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens with a malformed percent sequence? You'll see a clear error message rather than the tool crashing or silently returning garbled text.

Does this handle Unicode text correctly? Yes — decoded percent-sequences are interpreted as UTF-8, so non-English text decodes correctly.

Does this upload my text anywhere? No. Decoding happens entirely in your browser.

Try It

Need to decode a percent-encoded URL or value? QR Ivify's free URL Decoder handles malformed input gracefully. Need to encode text instead? Try URL Encoder. Decoding something else? See Base64 Decoder.