Free URL Encoder — Encode URLs & Special Characters Online

What Is URL Encoding?

URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) is the process of converting special characters in a URL into a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet. Characters like spaces, ampersands (&), question marks (?), and non-ASCII characters are replaced with a % sign followed by their hexadecimal value — for example, a space becomes %20.

This is essential because URLs can only contain a limited set of characters from the ASCII character set. Our free URL encoder tool handles this conversion instantly.

Why URL Encoding Matters

Improperly encoded URLs can cause broken links, failed API calls, and tracking errors. Here's why it's critical:

• Prevent broken links — Special characters in URLs can cause 404 errors if not properly encoded
• API reliability — Query parameters with special characters must be encoded for APIs to process them correctly
• Tracking accuracy — UTM parameters and analytics tags with special characters need encoding to track properly
• Security — Proper encoding prevents injection attacks through URL manipulation
• International support — Non-ASCII characters (accented letters, CJK characters) require encoding for universal compatibility

How URL Encoding Works

Safe vs. Unsafe Characters

URLs have a set of unreserved characters that don't need encoding: letters (A-Z, a-z), digits (0-9), hyphens (-), underscores (_), periods (.), and tildes (~). Everything else should be percent-encoded.

Reserved Characters

Characters like :, /, ?, #, &, and = have special meaning in URLs. When these appear as data (not as delimiters), they must be encoded — e.g., & becomes %26.

Common Encodings

Space → %20 (or + in form data), & → %26, = → %3D, ? → %3F, # → %23, / → %2F.

How to Use Our Free URL Encoder

1. Paste the text or URL you want to encode into the input field
2. Click Encode to convert all special characters
3. Copy the encoded result for use in your URLs, APIs, or code

Common Use Cases

• Building API requests — Encode query parameters before sending HTTP requests
• Creating UTM links — Encode campaign names with special characters for accurate tracking
• Sharing URLs with special characters — Ensure links with non-English characters work universally
• Form data submission — Encode form values before sending via GET requests
• Embedding URLs in HTML — Safely include URLs with ampersands in href attributes

Best Practices

• Encode values, not entire URLs — Only encode the query parameter values, not the structural characters (?, &, =)
• Don't double-encode — Encoding an already-encoded string creates broken URLs (e.g., %2520 instead of %20)
• Use UTF-8 — Always encode using UTF-8 for maximum compatibility
• Test your encoded URLs — Paste them in a browser to verify they resolve correctly

Related Tools

• URL Decoder — Decode percent-encoded URLs back to readable text
• URL Parser — Break down URLs into their component parts
• UTM Link Generator — Create UTM-tagged campaign URLs
• Base64 Encoder — Encode data in Base64 format
• HTML Entity Converter — Convert special characters for HTML

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?

encodeURI() encodes a full URI but leaves structural characters (:, /, ?, #) intact. encodeURIComponent() encodes everything except unreserved characters — use it for encoding individual query parameter values.

Should I use %20 or + for spaces?

Use %20 in URL paths and + in query strings (application/x-www-form-urlencoded). Our tool uses %20 which works universally in both contexts.

Can URL encoding prevent XSS attacks?

URL encoding is one layer of defense, but it's not sufficient on its own. Always combine it with proper input validation, output encoding, and Content Security Policy headers for complete protection.