URL Files

A .url file is a small text file that contains a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or a web address. It’s a simple file format used to store a link to a website, email address, or other online resource.

Here are some key characteristics of the .url file format:

  1. Plain text: A .url file is a plain text file that contains only one line of text: the URL itself.
  2. Single-line format: The entire contents of the file are contained in a single line, with no line breaks or formatting characters.
  3. URL encoding: The URL stored in the file may be encoded using URL encoding rules (e.g., %20 for spaces).
  4. No metadata: .url files do not contain any additional metadata, such as title, description, or icon information.

Here’s an example of what a simple .url file might look like:

https://www.example.com

Or, with URL encoding:

https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eexample%2Ecom

.url files are commonly used on Windows systems to create shortcuts to websites or online resources. They can be created manually by saving a plain text file with the .url extension, or they can be generated programmatically using scripts or applications.

When you double-click a .url file on a Windows system, the operating system will automatically open the default web browser and navigate to the URL stored in the file.

In summary, the .url file format is a simple text-based format for storing URLs, which allows users to easily create shortcuts to online resources.