URL Encoder

Percent-encode text so it is safe to drop into a URL query string or parameter. Spaces, ampersands, slashes, and other reserved characters become their %xx equivalents instantly. This encoder uses encodeURIComponent and runs entirely in your browser.

Plain URL / Text

URL Encoded

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Why use URL Encoder?

URLs only permit a limited set of characters, so anything else, spaces, ampersands, question marks, non-English letters, has to be percent-encoded: replaced with a percent sign followed by the character byte in hexadecimal. Skipping this step is a classic source of broken links and dropped query parameters, because an unencoded ampersand or equals sign is read as URL structure rather than data. This tool uses encodeURIComponent, which is the right choice when you are encoding a single value such as one query parameter. It escapes the structural characters (slash, question mark, ampersand, hash) as well, so the value cannot accidentally change the meaning of the URL around it. If you instead needed to encode an entire URL while preserving its structure, that is the job of encodeURI, a different operation. Everything is computed locally and live, so you can encode redirect targets, search terms, or user-supplied values and copy the result straight into your request. Encode only the value going into a parameter, not the whole URL, or its own slashes and colon get turned into %2F and %3A too.

Key benefits

Makes any value safe to use inside a URL query parameter
Encodes reserved characters like space, &, ?, =, #, and /
Instant, live output with one-click copy
Client-side only, your input is never uploaded

Features

Uses encodeURIComponent for component-level (parameter) encoding
Live encoding as you type
Handles full Unicode via UTF-8 percent-encoding

Popular use cases

Building a query string by hand for an API request
Encoding a search term or redirect URL passed as a parameter
Safely embedding user input into a link
Encoding a value that contains an ampersand or equals sign

How to use URL Encoder

1
Enter your text
Type or paste the text, value, or URL fragment you want to encode.
2
Read the encoded output
The percent-encoded result appears instantly in the output panel.
3
Copy or clear
Click "Copy" to grab the encoded string, or "Clear" to reset.
4
Insert it into your URL
Paste the encoded value into your query string in place of the raw text, for example after a ?q= or &redirect= parameter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between encodeURIComponent and encodeURI?

encodeURIComponent (used here) encodes a single value, so it also escapes /, ?, &, =, and #, which is what you want for a query parameter. encodeURI is for a whole URL and deliberately leaves those structural characters intact. Use this tool for individual values.

Why is a space shown as %20 and not a plus?

Percent-encoding represents a space as %20. The plus sign for a space is a convention specific to application/x-www-form-urlencoded form bodies, not general URL encoding.

Does it encode Unicode characters?

Yes. Non-ASCII characters are first converted to UTF-8 bytes and then percent-encoded, so an accented letter like e-acute becomes %C3%A9, for example.

Should I encode the whole URL, including https:// and the domain?

No. Encode only the value being inserted into a parameter. Running a full URL through this tool turns its own slashes and colon into %2F and %3A, which breaks the link.

Is my input private?

Yes. Encoding runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

Last reviewed: July 2026

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