URL Encode

Percent-encode text for URLs — with the component/full-URL distinction that most encoders get wrong.

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Options

Encode as

Use "single value" for one query parameter, "whole URL" to keep :/?# working.

Treat + as a space

Correct for HTML form data, wrong for URL paths.

Text or URL

Encoded

Output appears here as you type.

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About the URL Encode

Percent-encoding escapes the characters that would otherwise be read as URL structure rather than as data. A query value containing `&`, `?`, `/` or a space changes the meaning of the URL around it, and the failure is silent: the request succeeds and the server receives something other than what you sent.

Encode the value, never the whole URL — running a complete address through an encoder escapes the separators that make it a URL at all. Note also that a space becomes `%20` in a path and may be `+` in a form-encoded query body, which is a genuine difference rather than a matter of taste.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the two modes?

encodeURIComponent escapes the URL-reserved characters : / ? # [ ] @ & = + $ , so it is correct for a single query-string value. encodeURI leaves them alone so a complete URL stays functional. Using the wrong one is the classic bug: encoding a whole URL as a component makes it unusable, and encoding a parameter as a full URL lets an embedded & split your query string.

When should + mean a space?

Only in application/x-www-form-urlencoded data — that is, HTML form submissions and traditional query strings. In URL paths, + is a literal plus sign. Getting this wrong turns "C++" into "C " or a space into a stray plus.

Which characters are safe to leave unencoded?

The RFC 3986 unreserved set: A–Z, a–z, 0–9, hyphen, underscore, period and tilde. Everything else should be percent-encoded in a value. Note that encodeURIComponent also leaves ! ' ( ) * alone, which is fine for URLs but occasionally trips up strict server-side parsers.

About the URL Encode

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the two modes?

When should + mean a space?

Which characters are safe to leave unencoded?