Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the display of and for resolving special characters in URL's URI's and Email ID's is implemented. In response to the entry of an URL during a browsing session, the web browser retrieves the URL and displays on the address bar a message read from a server. This message can be in addition to or in lieu of the URL. This allows the display of meaningful information on the address bar of a Web browser, that otherwise displays a URL that is usually cryptic. Also, in response to an entry of a URL/URI/Email ID with non-permitted special characters (such as space), the web browser converts them into a standard format by removal of the non-permitted special characters and fetches the appropriate file.