What Is URL Encoding?

URL encoding, also known as percent-encoding, is the process of converting characters into a format
that can be safely transmitted in a URL. Characters that have special meaning in URLs — such as
&, =, ?, and spaces — are replaced with a percent sign
(%) followed by their two-digit hexadecimal ASCII value. For example, a space becomes
%20 and an ampersand becomes %26.

Component vs. Full URL Encoding

This tool offers two encoding methods. Component encoding (using JavaScript’s
encodeURIComponent) encodes all special characters, making it ideal for encoding
individual query parameter values. Full URL encoding (using encodeURI)
preserves URL-safe characters like :, /, ?, and #,
so you can encode an entire URL without breaking its structure.

When to Use URL Encoding

You need URL encoding whenever you pass user-generated data as part of a URL — for example, search
queries, form data, API parameters, or file names with spaces and special characters. Proper encoding
prevents broken links, injection attacks, and data corruption. This tool handles both encoding and
decoding so you can quickly inspect or construct URLs with confidence.