How to Use the URL Encoder
- Paste or enter your input into the text field.
- Configure any options (format, delimiter, encoding, or mode) using the controls above the output.
- The result updates instantly — no submit button required for most operations.
- Click Copy or Download to take the output to your next step.
Percent-encode strings so they can travel safely inside a URL. The encoder uses the browser’s native encodeURIComponent, which converts every character outside the unreserved set ([A-Za-z0-9-_.!~*'()]) into one or more %HH escapes via UTF-8 bytes. That means accented letters, CJK ideographs, and emoji all encode correctly without any setup.
How the URL Encoder Works
Switch to encodeURI mode when you want to keep structural characters (/, ?, #, &) literal — useful for encoding a whole URL where only the unsafe parts should change. A second toggle outputs spaces as + instead of %20 for form-urlencoded payloads.
- Component mode (encodeURIComponent) and full-URI mode (encodeURI)
- Optional + for spaces (form-urlencoded)
- UTF-8 multibyte encoding for any Unicode input
- Live preview as you type
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I use encodeURI vs encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI keeps URL-structural characters (/, ?, #, &) literal — use it for whole URLs you want to remain valid. encodeURIComponent escapes everything except a small set of unreserved characters — use it for individual query parameter values or path segments.
Why does the tool produce %20 instead of +?
%20 is the canonical RFC 3986 encoding of a space and works in every part of a URL. + only means space inside application/x-www-form-urlencoded data — toggle the form-encoding option to switch.
How are non-ASCII characters encoded?
They are first converted to UTF-8 bytes and each byte is then percent-encoded. So é becomes %C3%A9 and 😀 becomes %F0%9F%98%80, which is what every modern server expects.
Is the input sent to any server?
No — encoding uses the browser’s native encodeURI / encodeURIComponent. Nothing leaves the page.
Explore the full suite of ENCODERS tools and 290+ other free utilities at Chunky Munster.