#489 · Developer Tool

Percent Encoding Inspector

Inspect percent escapes in a URL or text fragment, decode valid UTF-8 runs, and list every byte escape with its position and character meaning. Processing stays in the browser, so the input is not sent to a conversion service.

Developer Input

URL or percent-encoded text
Ad space

How to use this developer tool

  1. Paste url or percent-encoded text or load the sample.
  2. Choose any format-specific option shown above the run button.
  3. Select Inspect Encoding or press Ctrl/Cmd + Enter.
  4. Review the summary and download the result if it matches your target format.

What this developer tool does

It separates literal characters from percent-encoded bytes and reports malformed percent markers before decoding.

Consecutive %HH sequences are collected as bytes and decoded as UTF-8. Reserved delimiters remain identifiable in the findings table.

Decoding an entire URL can change its structure when escapes represent /, ?, #, or &.

Example

Input

https://example.com/search?q=caf%C3%A9%20menu&tag=a%2Fb

Run the included sample to see the exact output and byte statistics produced by the current options.

Use cases

  • Check values copied from email, URLs, tokens, or configuration files.
  • Prepare deterministic test fixtures without a server-side dependency.
  • Inspect byte-level transformations before adding them to application code.

Tips for reliable output

  • Keep the original input beside the result while debugging.
  • Confirm the alphabet or MIME variant expected by the receiving system.
  • Use hexadecimal output when bytes are not valid text.
  • Test Unicode and empty-edge cases in your own integration.
  • Do not treat reversible encoding as a security control.

Processing details

The inspector reports the original character offset, hexadecimal byte, and ASCII hint for each escape.

It does not apply application/x-www-form-urlencoded plus-to-space conversion unless explicitly implemented by the caller.

Frequently asked questions

What input does the Percent Encoding Inspector accept?

URL or percent-encoded text is accepted as plain text in the input area.

How does the Percent Encoding Inspector handle invalid data?

It does not apply application/x-www-form-urlencoded plus-to-space conversion unless explicitly implemented by the caller.

Is output from the Percent Encoding Inspector encrypted?

No. The transformation is an encoding or inspection operation, not encryption.

Can I use the Percent Encoding Inspector with Unicode text?

Yes. Text input is converted with UTF-8 where the format requires bytes.

What should I verify before using the result?

Decoding an entire URL can change its structure when escapes represent /, ?, #, or &.

Format notes

PropertyValue
InputURL or percent-encoded text
RunsLocally in the browser

Encoding and Decoding tools

Browse byte viewers, Unicode inspectors, and text encoding converters in the same category.

View category