URL Encoder
Encode text and URL components online using percent encoding for safe use in query parameters, paths and web requests.
How to Use the URL Encoder
Percent-encode URLs and query strings in four simple steps:
Enter URL or Text
Paste your complete URL, path, or individual query parameter string into the left input pane or click "Sample".
Choose Scope Mode
Select "Encode Component" for query values (encodes &, =, ?), or "Encode Full URL" to preserve address protocols and slashes.
Encode Instantly
Click "Encode URL" or let real-time typing generate RFC 3986 percent-encoded output directly in your browser.
Copy or Download
Copy the encoded string with one click or download the output as a text file named url-encoded.txt.
What is URL Encoding (Percent-Encoding)?
URL encoding, formally known as percent-encoding in RFC 3986, is a mechanism for translating arbitrary characters into a format that can be safely transmitted within a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).
Certain characters within URLs possess special syntactic functions. For example, the question mark (?) designates the start of query parameters, the ampersand (&) separates key-value pairs, the equals sign (=) links parameter keys to their values, and the hash symbol (#) marks fragment identifiers. If these characters appear as part of actual data (such as searching for "Tom & Jerry?"), they must be percent-encoded (e.g., Tom%20%26%20Jerry%3F) so web servers parse the query string correctly.
Non-ASCII characters, international languages, and emojis are first transformed into their UTF-8 byte representation, and each resulting byte is expressed as a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits.
URL Encoding Examples: Reserved Characters & Unicode
Examine how spaces, delimiters, and emojis transform into percent-encoded sequences:
Space: " "
Ampersand: "&"
Equals: "="
Question Mark: "?"
Slash: "/"
Unicode: "café"
Emoji: "🚀"%20
%26
%3D
%3F
%2F
caf%C3%A9
%F0%9F%9A%80When Developers Use URL Encoding
Essential scenarios where correct URL encoding prevents broken web requests:
API Query Parameters
Safely appending user-generated search terms, email addresses, and filter strings to REST or GraphQL GET endpoints.
OAuth & Redirect URIs
Passing nested target callback URLs within redirect_uri or returnTo parameters without breaking query parsing.
Webhooks & Tracking URLs
Formatting UTM campaign parameters and webhook destinations containing spaces, hashes, and special characters.
Form Submissions (POST)
Generating valid application/x-www-form-urlencoded bodies for legacy APIs requiring '+' space substitutions.
Key Features of CodeCrate URL Encoder
Precision tools designed for web developers and API engineers:
Dual Scope Modes
Seamlessly toggle between encodeURIComponent for query parameters and encodeURI for complete URLs.
Flexible Space Handling
Choose between standard RFC 3986 %20 or HTML form + encoding to match your backend expectations.
100% Client-Side Privacy
All conversions occur entirely in memory inside your browser. No private URLs, tokens, or queries are ever logged.
Instant Clipboard & File Export
Quickly copy the encoded URI or save it as url-encoded.txt for integration into shell scripts and test fixtures.
Important Technical Notes
Always use Encode Component when encoding values that belong after an equals sign in query strings (e.g. ?query=val). If you use Encode Full URL on a query parameter value, characters like & and = will remain unencoded and split your parameter unexpectedly.
RFC 3986 specifies that hexadecimal digits in percent sequences are case-insensitive, but uppercase (e.g., %2F rather than %2f) is the official standardized representation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about URL percent-encoding? Find answers below:
What is URL encoding (percent-encoding)?
URL encoding replaces reserved, unprintable, or non-ASCII characters with a '%' followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the UTF-8 byte value (as specified in RFC 3986).
What is the difference between Encode Component and Encode Full URL?
Encode Component (encodeURIComponent) encodes all special URL delimiters such as '&', '=', '?', and '/' so they can safely sit inside a query parameter value. Encode Full URL (encodeURI) preserves complete URL structures like protocol, host, and path delimiters while encoding spaces and Unicode symbols.
Should spaces be encoded as %20 or +?
Standard RFC 3986 percent-encoding represents spaces as '%20'. However, HTML form submissions (application/x-www-form-urlencoded) historically encode spaces as '+'. Our tool provides a dedicated toggle so you can choose either format.
Does this URL encoder support Unicode, international scripts, and emoji?
Yes. Non-ASCII characters and emojis (such as 'café', 'こんにちは', '🚀') are properly serialized into their respective multi-byte UTF-8 percent-encoded byte sequences.
Is my data sent to any remote server?
No. All encoding runs 100% locally in your browser memory. API endpoints, tokens, and query strings are never logged or transmitted.
Can I copy or download the encoded URL output?
Yes. You can copy the percent-encoded result directly to your clipboard or download it as url-encoded.txt with a single click.
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