What is URL encoding?
A URL originally only allows letters, digits, and a limited set of special characters, so spaces, accented letters, or characters from non-Latin scripts must be converted into a safe format called percent-encoding (for example, a space becomes %20, and "Γ©" becomes %C3%A9). When you type a non-ASCII search term into your browser's address bar, it's actually sent to the server in this encoded form.
encodeURIComponent vs. encodeURI
This tool uses encodeURIComponent, the method used to encode a single component of a URL, such as a query-string value. It encodes structurally important characters like /, ?, &, and = as well, so it's meant for encoding a single parameter value, not an entire URL.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I encode the whole URL or just part of it?
Generally you should only encode the parameter value in the query string (like a search term), not the entire URL. For https://example.com/?q=search+term, you'd only encode the "search term" part.
Is what I type sent to a server?
No. All encoding and decoding happens entirely in your browser and is never sent to a server.