Since URLs often contain characters outside the ASCII set, the URL has to be converted into a valid ASCII format. URL encoding replaces unsafe ASCII characters with a "%" followed by two …

Jan 3, 2021 · The + character has a special meaning in [the query segment of] a URL => it means whitespace: . If you want to use the literal + sign there, you need to URL encode it to %2b:

What is %2b in a URL? %2b is the URL-encoded version of the literal plus sign (+). This is necessary because the plus sign itself is frequently interpreted as a space character by many web servers.

Jun 20, 2026 · In this blog, we’ll demystify why sending a literal `+` in query arguments requires special handling, explore how Java’s `java.net.URI` class behaves, and provide step-by-step guidance to …

May 10, 2026 · To URL encode a plus sign, escape it as %2B. When you need a literal + to survive a form-encoded query string, never write the raw character — encodeURIComponent ("+") returns …

Unless you're certain that you won't be encoding email addresses AND you need the readability provided by the non-standard "+" usage, instead always use use rawurlencode () or rawurldecode ().

Learn how to URL encode the plus sign (+) as %2B. Understand the confusing relationship between +, spaces, and %2B in URL encoding.

The character + (PLUS SIGN) is represented by the Unicode codepoint U+002B. It is encoded in the Basic Latin block, which belongs to the Basic Multilingual Plane.

Decode from URL-encoded format or encode into it with various advanced options. Our site has an easy to use online tool to convert your data.