Encode Special URL Characters

Type:

Try:

Text to Encode23 chars

URL-Encoded Output

31 chars(4 encoded)

name%3DJohn%26city%3DNew%20York

Size change: +34.8%

URL Encoding Reference

→ %20

Space

& → %26

Ampersand

= → %3D

Equals

? → %3F

Question mark

/ → %2F

Forward slash

# → %23

Hash

+ → %2B

Plus

@ → %40

At sign

encodeURI vs encodeURIComponent

encodeURIComponent: Encodes all special characters including /, ?, &, =, #. Use for encoding URL parameter values.

encodeURI: Preserves URL structure characters (/, ?, &, =, #, :). Use for encoding entire URLs while keeping them valid.

encodeURIComponent("a=b&c=d") → "a%3Db%26c%3Dd"

encodeURI("a=b&c=d") → "a=b&c=d" (unchanged)

Code Examples

Here's how to achieve this in different programming languages:

1// URL Encode
2const input = "name=John&city=New York";
3const encoded = encodeURIComponent(input);
4console.log(encoded); // "name%3DJohn%26city%3DNew%20York"
5
6// URL Decode
7const decoded = decodeURIComponent("name%3DJohn%26city%3DNew%20York");
8console.log(decoded); // "name=John&city=New York"

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the URL encoding of "name=John&city=New York"?

The URL encoding of "name=John&city=New York" is "name%3DJohn%26city%3DNew%20York". URL encoding converts special characters to percent-encoded format using %XX hexadecimal values.

How do I URL encode text?

Use encodeURIComponent() in JavaScript, urllib.parse.quote() in Python, or Uri.EscapeDataString() in C#. Our online tool above encodes instantly.

How do I decode URL-encoded text?

Use decodeURIComponent() in JavaScript, urllib.parse.unquote() in Python, or Uri.UnescapeDataString() in C#.

Why do spaces become %20?

The hex value of space (ASCII 32) is 20. URL encoding uses %XX format where XX is the hex value. So space → %20, @ → %40, & → %26.

What's the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?

encodeURIComponent encodes ALL special characters (/, ?, &, =) for use in URL parameter values. encodeURI preserves URL structure and is used for whole URLs.