// mime type · application type
application/x-www-form-urlencoded
URL-encoded form submission
What application/x-www-form-urlencoded is
application/x-www-form-urlencoded is the default encoding for HTML form submissions — key/value pairs joined like a query string (a=1&b=2). Use multipart/form-data instead when the form includes file uploads.
How it's used
You'll see this as a Content-Type value on requests and responses — for example Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded. Application types cover structured data and binary formats — from JSON and XML to PDFs, archives, and Office documents.
Other application types
application/json application/ld+json application/xml application/javascript application/pdf application/zip application/gzip application/octet-stream application/x-www-form-urlencoded application/wasm application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document