Base64 Encoder and Decoder
Convert text to Base64 and decode Base64 back into readable text. It handles accents, emoji and any other Unicode correctly by encoding as UTF-8 first, which is where most simple Base64 tools fall over.
Base64 Encoder and Decoder tool
How to use it
- Choose whether you are encoding or decoding.
- Paste your text or Base64 string.
- Copy the result, or press ‘Use result as input’ to run it back the other way.
Worked example
What Base64 is for
Base64 rewrites arbitrary data using only 64 safe characters: A to Z, a to z, 0 to 9, plus and slash. It exists because some systems only reliably carry plain text, so binary content has to be disguised as letters to survive an email header, a JSON field or a data URL.
It is an encoding, not encryption. Anyone can decode a Base64 string in one click, including on this page, so it protects nothing. Use it for transport and formatting, never for secrets.
Base64 always grows the data by roughly one third, because every three bytes become four characters. The trailing equals signs are padding that rounds the output to a multiple of four. URL-safe Base64 swaps plus and slash for hyphen and underscore so the string can sit in a web address without being escaped.
Common uses
- Embedding small images as data URLs
- Encoding credentials for HTTP Basic auth headers
- Moving binary data through JSON or XML
- Decoding tokens and config values while debugging