URL Encoder
Encode text for safe use in URLs with our free online tool.
All conversions happen in your browser. No data is sent to our servers. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter to convert.
How to URL Encode Text
Paste your text into the input panel and click Convert. Special characters are converted to their percent-encoded equivalents for safe use in URLs.
What is URL Encoding?
URL encoding (percent-encoding) replaces unsafe characters with a % followed by two hex digits. This ensures URLs are transmitted correctly across the internet.
Why Encode URLs?
URLs have reserved characters with special meanings (&, =, ?, #). Encoding prevents these from being misinterpreted when they appear in data.
Common Use Cases
URL encode when building query strings, creating API requests, encoding form data, or generating safe links with special characters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What characters are encoded?
Special characters like spaces, &, =, ?, #, and non-ASCII characters are converted to percent-encoded format (e.g., space becomes %20).
Should I encode the entire URL?
No, only encode the parts that need it (usually query parameter values). Encoding the entire URL would break it.
What's the difference between + and %20 for spaces?
Both represent spaces. %20 is standard URL encoding, while + is used in form data (application/x-www-form-urlencoded). Our encoder uses %20 by default.
Is URL encoding the same as HTML encoding?
No, they're different. URL encoding uses percent-escaping (%20), while HTML encoding uses entities (&). Use the right one for each context.