What is Base64?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data using 64 ASCII characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). It is commonly used to encode data for transport over media designed to handle text, such as email, HTML, and JSON Web Tokens.
How It Works
- Enter your data — Type or paste text into the input area for encoding, or paste a Base64 string for decoding.
- Choose an action — Click Encode to convert text to Base64, or Decode to convert Base64 back to text. Use URL-Safe options for web contexts.
- Get instant results — The converted result appears immediately in the output panel.
- Copy or swap — Copy the result to your clipboard, or click Swap to move output to input for further processing.
Key Features
- Encode & Decode — Convert between plain text and Base64
- URL-Safe Mode — Uses - and _ instead of + and /, with no padding
- UTF-8 Support — Handles international characters and emoji
- 100% Client-Side — Your data never leaves your browser
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Base64 encoding?
Base64 is a method of encoding binary data as ASCII text. It converts every 3 bytes of data into 4 characters from a set of 64 (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /).
When should I use Base64?
Base64 is used when you need to embed binary data in text-based formats like HTML, CSS, JSON, or email (MIME). It is also used in Basic Authentication headers and data URIs.
What is URL-safe Base64?
URL-safe Base64 replaces + with - and / with _, and removes the = padding. This makes the output safe to use in URLs, query parameters, and filenames without percent-encoding.
Does Base64 encoding encrypt my data?
No, Base64 is encoding, not encryption. It is easily reversible and provides no security. Do not use Base64 to protect sensitive data.
Can I encode images to Base64?
This tool handles text encoding. For image-to-Base64 conversion, use our Image to Base64 tool.
Does it support Unicode and emoji?
Yes, the encoder uses UTF-8 encoding, so it fully supports Unicode characters including emoji, Chinese, Japanese, and other non-ASCII text.
Why is Base64 output larger than the input?
Base64 encoding increases data size by approximately 33% because every 3 bytes become 4 characters. This is the trade-off for making binary data safe for text-based transport.
Is my data sent to a server?
No, all encoding and decoding happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your data never leaves your device.