What is URL encoding and why is it needed?

URL encoding (percent-encoding) converts special characters into a format safe for URLs. URLs can only contain unreserved characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, -, _, ., ~). All other characters—including spaces, &, =, ?, #—must be encoded as %XX (hexadecimal). For example, "hello world" becomes "hello%20world" and "user@email.com" becomes "user%40email.com". This prevents URL parsing errors.

What characters need to be URL encoded?

Reserved characters (&, =, ?, #, /, :, @, +) have special meaning in URLs and must be encoded. Unsafe characters (spaces, , {, }, |, \, ^, `) are not allowed in URLs. Non-ASCII characters (é, ñ, 中) must be encoded. Safe characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, -, _, ., ~) never need encoding. Example: "&" becomes "%26", space becomes "%20" or "+".

What is the difference between %20 and + for spaces?

Both represent spaces, but context matters. "%20" is the standard percent-encoding for spaces, valid everywhere in URLs. "+" is specific to query parameters (after "?") in application/x-www-form-urlencoded format, commonly used in HTML forms. In URL paths, only "%20" is correct. In query strings, both work, but "%20" is more universal and recommended.

Do I need to encode entire URLs or just query parameters?

Only encode the values, not the structure. Never encode the protocol (https://), domain (example.com), or structural characters (?&=). Encode only: path segments with special characters (/search/hello world → /search/hello%20world) and query parameter values (?name=John Doe → ?name=John%20Doe). Encoding the entire URL breaks it: "https://" becomes "https%3A%2F%2F" which is invalid.

Can URL encoding handle non-English characters?

Yes. Non-ASCII characters (Chinese, Arabic, emoji) are first converted to UTF-8 bytes, then each byte is percent-encoded. For example, "こんにちは" (Japanese) becomes "%E3%81%93%E3%82%93%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A1%E3%81%AF". Modern browsers handle this automatically, but manual encoding is needed when constructing URLs programmatically or in APIs.

Is URL encoding the same as HTML entity encoding?

No. URL encoding uses percent-encoding (%20, %26) for URLs. HTML entity encoding uses &-entities ( , &) for displaying characters in HTML content. They serve different purposes. In HTML, use & for "&". In URLs, use %26. Never mix them: "?name=John%26Doe" (URL-encoded "&") is correct; "?name=John&Doe" (HTML entity) breaks URLs.

URL Encoder/Decoder - Free Online Tool

How to Encode/Decode URLs

Paste URL or encoded string into the input field
Choose encode or decode mode
Click convert to process the URL
Copy the encoded or decoded URL

URL Encoder Features

URL-Safe Encoding: Converts special characters to percent-encoded format
Query Parameter Support: Properly encodes key=value pairs
Special Character Handling: Handles spaces, &, ?, =, and more
Bidirectional Conversion: Encode and decode in one tool
Preserves URL Structure: Maintains protocol, domain, and path
100% Free: No limits on URL length or usage

Why URLs Need Encoding

URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters. Special characters like spaces, &, #, ?, and non-ASCII characters must be percent-encoded (%20 for space, %26 for &) to avoid breaking the URL structure or conflicting with URL syntax.

Example: The search query "cats & dogs" becomes "cats%20%26%20dogs" in a URL. Without encoding, the & would be interpreted as a parameter separator, breaking the query. Similarly, "München" becomes "M%C3%BCnchen" to preserve the ü character.

Use cases: Building query strings for API requests, creating shareable URLs with user-generated content, encoding URL parameters for analytics tracking, and constructing redirect URLs with destination URLs as parameters.

Privacy & Security

All URL encoding and decoding happens locally in your browser. Your URLs and parameters are never uploaded to servers, stored, or logged. The processing uses JavaScript, keeping your data private.

URL Encoder & Decoder

How to Encode/Decode URLs

URL Encoder Features

Why URLs Need Encoding

Privacy & Security