Which encoding to use
- Component: for a single query value or path segment. Encodes /, ?, &, = and # so they don't break the URL.
- Full URL: keeps the characters that give a URL its structure (: / ? & = #) and encodes the rest, such as spaces and accents.
- Decode: turns %20, %C3%A9 and similar back into characters. A + is decoded as a space only when you choose to (form encoding).
Frequently asked questions
Why does é become %C3%A9?
URLs are encoded in UTF-8: é is two bytes, C3 and A9, each written as %XX.
Should URLs contain accents?
They work when encoded, but plain ASCII slugs are easier to share and read. Use the slug generator to create them.