URL Encode in Python — Free Online Tool + Code Examples

How to URL Encode in Python

Python 3 provides URL encoding through the urllib.parse module. The two main functions are quote() for encoding path segments and quote_plus() for encoding form data (which converts spaces to + instead of %20). For building complete query strings, use urlencode().

urllib.parse.quote() Examples

from urllib.parse import quote, quote_plus, urlencode

# Basic URL encoding
text = 'hello world & goodbye'
print(quote(text))        # hello%20world%20%26%20goodbye
print(quote_plus(text))   # hello+world+%26+goodbye

# Encode with safe characters (preserve slashes)
path = '/api/v2/users/John Doe'
print(quote(path, safe='/'))  # /api/v2/users/John%20Doe

# Encode Unicode characters
print(quote('café'))    # caf%C3%A9
print(quote('日本語'))  # %E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E

# Build complete query strings
params = {'q': 'hello world', 'lang': 'en', 'page': 1}
print(urlencode(params))  # q=hello+world&lang=en&page=1

quote() vs quote_plus()

Using the requests Library

import requests

# requests handles encoding automatically
response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/search', params={
    'q': 'hello world & goodbye',
    'lang': 'en'
})
print(response.url)
# https://api.example.com/search?q=hello+world+%26+goodbye&lang=en

When to Use Each

• quote() — Encode URL path segments. Spaces become %20. Use the safe parameter to preserve specific characters.
• quote_plus() — Encode form data (application/x-www-form-urlencoded). Spaces become +.
• urlencode() — Build complete query strings from dictionaries. Uses quote_plus() internally.
• requests library — Handles encoding automatically when you pass params.