How to encode a URL query parameter value

Query parameter values often contain characters that break URL parsing — spaces, ampersands, equals signs, and non-ASCII text. If these characters are not percent-encoded, the server receives a malformed query string or silently truncates the value. This guide shows how to encode any string for safe use as a query parameter value in under 10 seconds, without writing code.

Step-by-step guide

1. Paste the raw value: Paste the text you want to use as a query parameter value — a search term, a redirect URL, a user name, or any string that may contain spaces or special characters.
2. Select encode-component: Choose 'encode-component' (encodeURIComponent). This encodes all characters that could be misread as URL structure, including &, =, ?, #, and spaces.
3. Insert the result into your URL: Copy the encoded string and append it to your URL: ?key=<encoded-value>. The encoding table shows exactly which characters were changed so you can verify the output.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to encode the key name as well as the value?

In practice, key names are usually simple ASCII strings with no special characters. But if your key name contains spaces or symbols, encode it with encodeURIComponent too — the same rules apply to both sides of the = sign.

What happens if I don't encode the value?

The browser or server will interpret special characters as URL delimiters. A & in the value will be parsed as a new parameter separator, splitting the value in two. A space will cause the URL to be truncated at that point.