What is Base64 encoding?

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding that represents binary data using 64 printable ASCII characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). It allows binary data to be safely transmitted over text-based systems.

Base64 is used to transmit binary data (images, files) through systems designed for text. Email attachments, data URIs in CSS/HTML, and API authentication headers all commonly use Base64 encoding.

Does Base64 encrypt data?

No. Base64 is encoding, not encryption. It's easily reversible and provides no security. Never use Base64 to 'hide' sensitive data — anyone can decode it instantly.

What is URL-safe Base64?

Standard Base64 uses + and / which are special characters in URLs. URL-safe Base64 replaces + with - and / with _ so the encoded string can be safely used in URLs without encoding.

Why is Base64 encoded data larger than the original?

Base64 encodes every 3 bytes of input into 4 ASCII characters, increasing size by approximately 33%. This size overhead is the trade-off for being able to represent binary data as text.

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Base64 Encode/Decode

Encode or decode Base64 strings. Supports standard and URL-safe Base64 encoding.

Plain Text

What is Base64 Encode/Decode?

The Base64 Encoder/Decoder converts text or binary data to Base64 format (encoding) or converts Base64 strings back to their original text or binary form (decoding). Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data using 64 printable ASCII characters.

Base64 is ubiquitous in web development: encoding images for CSS (inline data URIs), transmitting binary data over text-based APIs, encoding email attachments (MIME), and embedding binary data in JSON payloads. This tool handles both encoding and decoding without any software installation.

Why Use Base64 Encode/Decode?

Base64 encoding and decoding is a constant need in web development, API testing, and data processing. Rather than writing code or using command-line tools, this browser-based tool handles the conversion instantly for any text or data you need to encode or decode.

Key Features of Base64 Encode/Decode

✓Encodes plain text to Base64 format
✓Decodes Base64 strings to original text
✓URL-safe Base64 option (replaces + with - and / with _)
✓Handles UTF-8 encoded text
✓Copy encoded/decoded result with one click

How to Use Base64 Encode/Decode

1
Enter your text or Base64
Paste the text you want to encode, or the Base64 string you want to decode.
2
Choose operation
Click 'Encode to Base64' or 'Decode from Base64'.
3
Review the output
See the encoded or decoded result in the output area.
4
Copy the result
Click 'Copy' to copy the output to your clipboard.
5
Use in your project
Paste the encoded Base64 into your CSS, JSON, API call, or wherever needed.