URL Encode

URL Encode is a free, no-sign-up tool that converts literal characters, like spaces or ampersands, into their percent-encoded equivalents so they can travel safely inside a URL. Paste in plain text and the tool outputs a properly escaped version ready to drop into a link or query parameter. Developers building query strings and anyone sharing a link containing special characters use it to avoid broken URLs.

What is URL Encode?

A valid URL can only contain a limited set of characters directly, so anything else, including spaces, accented letters, and reserved symbols like & or =, needs to be represented differently. This tool scans your input text and replaces each character that isn't URL-safe with a percent sign followed by its hexadecimal code, a format known as percent-encoding. The result is a string that can be embedded in a link or query parameter without being misinterpreted by the receiving server.

How to use URL Encode

1. Paste the text you want to encode into the input box.
2. Click encode to generate the percent-encoded version.
3. Copy the encoded output into your URL or query string.

Key features

• Escapes spaces, symbols, and reserved characters correctly.
• Processes both short strings and full query parameters.
• Produces output ready to paste directly into a URL.
• No account or sign-up needed to use it.

Related tools

Reverse an encoded string with URL Decode, inspect a full link's parts with the URL Parser, or add tracking parameters using the UTM Builder.

Frequently asked questions

Is URL Encode free?

Yes, the tool is free to use with no sign-up required. There's no limit on how many strings you can encode.

Which characters actually need encoding?

Reserved and unsafe characters, such as spaces, ampersands, question marks, and non-ASCII letters, need encoding, while letters, numbers, and a handful of symbols like hyphens are already URL-safe. The tool automatically identifies and escapes only the characters that require it, leaving safe ones untouched.

Do I need to encode an entire URL or just part of it?

You typically only need to encode individual values going into a query parameter, not the URL's structural characters like the protocol slashes or the question mark separating the path from the query. Encoding an entire URL, including those structural characters, would actually break it.

Will encoding change how my URL functions?

No, a correctly percent-encoded value is decoded back to its original form by the receiving server, so the URL still functions as intended. It only changes how the character is represented in transit, not the actual data being sent.