How to URL-encode a string
Percent-encode text for safe use in URLs and query strings, instantly in your browser.
URL encoding (percent-encoding) replaces characters that are unsafe in a URL with a "%" followed by their hex byte value. For example, a space becomes %20, "&" becomes %26, and "=" becomes %3D, so the value can be placed safely in a query string.
Input
name=John Doe&city=São Paulo
Output
name%3DJohn%20Doe%26city%3DS%C3%A3o%20Paulo
Non-ASCII characters are encoded as their UTF-8 bytes (São → S%C3%A3o).
Open the URL Encoder Advanced → Free · runs in your browser · nothing uploaded
Steps
- Open the URL Encode tool and select the Encode direction.
- Paste the text you want to make URL-safe.
- Copy the percent-encoded output for use in a URL or query parameter.
- Use the Decode direction to turn percent-encoded text back into plain text.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between encodeURIComponent and encodeURI?
- encodeURIComponent encodes a single value (it escapes &, =, ?, /, etc.), so use it for query-string parts. encodeURI is for a whole URL and leaves those structural characters intact.