What is the difference between %20 and + for spaces?

In modern URLs (RFC 3986), spaces are encoded as %20. The + notation for spaces comes from HTML form encoding (application/x-www-form-urlencoded) and is only valid in query strings, not in path segments. Modern APIs use %20 consistently. When in doubt, use %20.

Do I need to encode the entire URL or just parts?

Encode only the query parameter values and path segment values — not the entire URL. Encoding the entire URL would also encode the :// and ? and & which need to remain as literal characters. For example: /search?q=hello%20world is correct; %2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dhello%20world is wrong if you want a functional URL.

Why do some URLs contain %C3%A9 for é?

Non-ASCII characters like é are encoded as their UTF-8 byte sequence. The UTF-8 encoding of é is two bytes: 0xC3 0xA9, which becomes %C3%A9 in URL encoding. This ensures URLs work correctly regardless of the user's local character encoding.

How do I encode a URL in Python?

Use urllib.parse: from urllib.parse import quote; quote("hello world", safe=""): gives "hello%20world". For query strings: from urllib.parse import urlencode; urlencode({"q": "hello world"}): gives "q=hello+world" (note: urlencode uses + for HTML form encoding).

Can emoji be used in URLs?

Technically yes after encoding. 🎉 encodes to %F0%9F%8E%89. Browsers display the emoji in the address bar but send the encoded form. Domain names with emoji use Punycode (xn-- prefix). Some systems do not handle emoji in URLs well, so test your target system first.

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🔗

URL Encoder / Decoder

Percent-encode URLs for safe transmission and decode them back. Handles Unicode and special characters.

Input

URLs can only contain a safe subset of ASCII characters. Special characters like spaces, ampersands, question marks, and non-ASCII characters (like Unicode letters or emoji) must be percent-encoded before they can safely appear in a URL. Percent-encoding replaces unsafe characters with a % sign followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the UTF-8 byte value. This tool encodes and decodes URLs using the encodeURIComponent / decodeURIComponent standard, which handles Unicode correctly.

📋 How to Use This Calculator

Choose Encode or Decode with the toggle, paste your input, and click the button. For encoding: paste a raw URL, query parameter value, or any text containing special characters — it will be converted to a safe percent-encoded format. For decoding: paste a percent-encoded URL or query string — it will be restored to the original human-readable form. Common use cases: encoding user search queries before appending to URLs, decoding URL parameters from server logs, and encoding file paths for use in URLs.

💡 Key Facts & Information

There are two URL encoding functions in JavaScript: encodeURI() preserves URL structure characters (: / ? # [ ] @ ! $ & ' ( ) * + , ; =) and only encodes characters that are invalid in URIs. encodeURIComponent() is more aggressive — it encodes everything except letters, digits, and - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ) — making it suitable for encoding individual query parameter values or path segments. This tool uses encodeURIComponent which is the correct choice for encoding values (not full URLs). Spaces become %20 (not + — that is an older form used only in application/x-www-form-urlencoded, not in modern URLs).

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Disclaimer: The results provided by this calculator are for informational and educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial, medical, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making financial or health decisions. Actual results may vary based on individual circumstances.

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