diff --git a/logstash-core/lib/logstash/environment.rb b/logstash-core/lib/logstash/environment.rb
index 2f36a0835af..8e305ebb0a4 100644
--- a/logstash-core/lib/logstash/environment.rb
+++ b/logstash-core/lib/logstash/environment.rb
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ module Environment
 
       # Windows safe way to produce a file: URI.
       file_schema = "file://" + (LogStash::Environment.windows? ? "/" : "")
-      LogStash::Logging::Logger::reconfigure(::URI.encode_www_form_component(file_schema + ::File.absolute_path(log4j_config_location)))
+      LogStash::Logging::Logger::reconfigure(::URI::Parser.new.escape(file_schema + ::File.absolute_path(log4j_config_location)))
     end
     # override log level that may have been introduced from a custom log4j config file
     LogStash::Logging::Logger::configure_logging(settings.get("log.level"))