How to percent-encode text for safe use in URLs

1. Paste the text

   Drop the raw string into the "Text" field. The tool encodes any character outside the URL-safe set (`A-Z a-z 0-9 - _ . ~`) as `%XX` bytes using UTF-8.

2. Press Run

   Result returns a single `encoded` field. Examples: `hello world` → `hello%20world`; `café` → `caf%C3%A9`; `a+b` → `a%2Bb` (since `+` means space in query strings).

3. When to use it

   Wrapping a value before putting it in a URL path or query: `?q=` + encode(userInput). Don't encode the whole URL — only individual components (path segments, query values), or you'll mangle the `://` and `?`.

4. Component vs full URL

   This is `encodeURIComponent` semantics — strict. `encodeURI` would leave `?` and `:` alone for use in a whole URL. If you accidentally double-encode, `%20` becomes `%2520`; symptom: literal `%20` showing in the rendered page.