What's the difference between URL encoding and just typing the characters?

URLs only allow a limited ASCII set: letters, digits, and a few reserved characters. Anything else (spaces, /, ?, &, #, emoji, non-ASCII letters) has to be expressed as `%HH` escape sequences, where HH is the hex byte value. Browsers handle this transparently for URLs you type in the bar. For query string values, form bodies, and API payloads you often need to encode manually. This tool runs `encodeURIComponent` in your browser.

When should I use encodeURIComponent vs encodeURI?

This tool uses `encodeURIComponent`, which is the safer choice for encoding a single value (a query parameter, a fragment, a path segment). It also encodes the reserved characters `:/?#[]@!$&'()*+,;=`, which `encodeURI` leaves alone. Use `encodeURI` only when you are encoding a whole URL and want the slashes and colons to stay readable.

Why is `+` not used for spaces?

That is a legacy `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` convention used in HTML forms. Standard URL percent-encoding uses `%20` for space, which is what `encodeURIComponent` returns. If a downstream system expects `+`, post-process the result with a `%20 → +` substitution (common for form submissions).

Is the encoding done on the server?

No, it runs entirely in your browser via the built-in JavaScript `encodeURIComponent` function. Nothing leaves your device. To reverse the operation use URL Decoder.

Free, no signup, no rate limit (everything runs client-side).

WEB

URL Encoder

Encode URL strings

Input

Text to Encode

Convert special characters to percent-encoded format (e.g., Space -> %20) for safe transmission in URLs.

Terminal

Console ready. Execute a command to see output...

About URL Encoder

Safe Travel for Text

URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters. "Unsafe" characters (like standard spaces, emojis, or slashes inside queries) must be converted to a % format.

Common Codes

Space: %20
Slash (/): %2F
Question Mark (?): %3F

How to use URL Encoder

Paste the text
Type or paste whatever you want to encode into the textarea.
Hit Encode
The browser runs encodeURIComponent and prints the percent-encoded result into the terminal panel.
Copy or reverse
Copy the encoded string, or decode it back with URL Decoder.

Frequently Asked Questions

: URLs only allow a limited ASCII set: letters, digits, and a few reserved characters. Anything else (spaces, /, ?, &, #, emoji, non-ASCII letters) has to be expressed as %HH escape sequences, where HH is the hex byte value. Browsers handle this transparently for URLs you type in the bar. For query string values, form bodies, and API payloads you often need to encode manually. This tool runs encodeURIComponent in your browser.