HTML enctype Attribute

<form action="action.php" enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded">
	<label for="fname">First name:</label>
	<input type="text" id="fname" name="fname"><br>
	<label for="lname">Last name:</label>
	<input type="text" id="lname" name="lname"><br>
	<input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>

Meaning

The enctype attribute specifies how form data should be encoded before being sent to the server.

The default is application/x-www-form-urlencoded. This encoding replaces blank characters in the data with a plus character (+) and all other nonprinting characters with a percent sign (%) followed by the character’s ASCII HEX representation.

The multipart/form-data option does not perform character conversion and transfers the information as a compound MIME document. This must be used when using <input type="file">.

It also might be possible to use another encoding, such as text/plain with a mailed form, but in general you should be cautious about changing the enctype.

Standard Syntax

<element enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded|multipart/form-data|text/plain">

Browser Support

Status

Applies to:

The enctype attribute can be used on the following element:

Attribute Values