What is URL encoding?
Web addresses can only contain a limited set of characters. Spaces, Urdu letters, &, ? and other symbols must be written as a % followed by a code. A space becomes %20, & becomes %26 and / becomes %2F. This is also called percent-encoding.
When do you need it?
- Putting user input into a query string, such as a search term:
?q=free%20pdf%20tools. - Sharing links that contain non-English words.
- Reading a long tracking or redirect link to see where it really goes.
- Debugging APIs that receive parameters in the URL.
Component or full URL?
Encoding a single value escapes everything that isn't safe, including /, ? and &. Encoding a full URL keeps those characters, because they give the address its structure. Encode each parameter value separately, then join them.
Plus sign or %20?
In form data a space is often written as +. In other parts of a URL, + means a literal plus. When decoding form data, treat + as a space.
Paste any link into decode mode to see every parameter listed separately. For readable page addresses, use the Slug Generator.