URL Encode/Decode — What It Is and How to Do It Online Free
Ever seen %20 or %3A in a URL? That's URL encoding. Here's what it means and how to use it.
What Is URL Encoding?
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) replaces unsafe characters with a % followed by two hex digits. For example: space becomes %20, & becomes %26.
Why Is It Needed?
URLs can only contain certain ASCII characters. Special characters like spaces, ampersands, and non-ASCII characters must be encoded to be safely transmitted.
Encode/Decode Instantly
Use our free URL Encoder/Decoder — paste any text or URL, instantly encode or decode. Auto-detect mode, component vs full URL encoding.
Common Encodings
| Character | Encoded |
|---|---|
| Space | %20 or + |
| & | %26 |
| = | %3D |
| ? | %3F |
| / | %2F |
| @ | %40 |
| # | %23 |
In Code
- JavaScript:
encodeURIComponent('hello world') - Python:
urllib.parse.quote('hello world') - PHP:
urlencode('hello world')