Form enctype attribute

HTML DOM Form Object

Definition and Usage

enctype Sets or returns the value of the enctype attribute in the form.

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

By default, form data is encoded as "application/x-www-form-urlencoded". This means that all characters are encoded before being sent to the server (spaces are converted to "+" symbols, and special characters are converted to ASCII HEX values).

See also:

HTML Reference Manual:HTML <form> enctype Attribute

Example

Example 1

Return how the form data should be encoded before sending it to the server:

var x = document.getElementById("myForm").enctype;

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Example 2

Change the enctype value to set how the form data should be encoded before sending it to the server:

document.getElementById("myForm").enctype = "multipart/form-data";

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Syntax

Return the enctype attribute:

formObject.enctype

Set the enctype attribute:

formObject.enctype = "application/x-www-form-urlencoded,multipart/form-data,text/plain"

Attribute value

Value Description
application/x-www-form-urlencoded All characters are encoded before sending (default).
multipart/form-data No characters are encoded. This value is required when you use a form with a file upload control.
text/plain Spaces are converted to '+' symbols, but special characters are not encoded.

Technical Details

Return Value: A string value indicating how the form data should be encoded before sending it to the server.

Browser Support

The numbers in the table indicate the first browser version that fully supports this attribute.

Chrome Edge Firefox Safari Opera
Chrome Edge Firefox Safari Opera
Support Support Support Support Support

HTML DOM Form Object