Base64 Encode & Decode Tool

Input Text:

Result:

What is Base64 Encoding?

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format. It's commonly used when there's a need to encode binary data that needs to be stored and transferred over media designed to deal with text.

Common Uses of Base64 Encoding:

• Embedding images directly in HTML or CSS (data URIs)
• Sending binary data over text-based protocols like email (MIME)
• Storing complex data in JSON or XML
• Basic obfuscation of sensitive data (though not encryption)

How Our Base64 Tool Works

Our free online Base64 encoder and decoder makes it simple to convert between Base64 and regular text. Just paste your text in the input box, click "Encode to Base64" to encode it, or "Decode from Base64" to decode it back to regular text.

Why Use Our Base64 Converter?

• 100% free with no registration required
• Works entirely in your browser - no data sent to servers
• Clean, intuitive interface
• No limits on text length
• Fast and reliable conversion

Base64 Encoding Explained

Base64 encoding takes binary data and converts it into a set of 64 characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, '+', '/') with '=' used for padding. Each Base64 digit represents exactly 6 bits of data, which means every 3 bytes of binary data can be represented by 4 Base64 characters.

Base64 Example:

Original text: "Hello"
Base64 encoded: "SGVsbG8="

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Base64 encoding secure?

Base64 is not encryption - it doesn't provide security. It's simply an encoding method that makes binary data safe to transmit over text-based systems. Anyone can decode Base64 back to its original form.

Does Base64 encoding increase size?

Yes, Base64 encoding typically increases the size of the data by about 33%. This is because every 3 bytes of binary data becomes 4 bytes of Base64 encoded text.

Can I encode images to Base64?

Yes, you can encode images to Base64, which creates a data URI that can be embedded directly in HTML or CSS. However, this increases the file size and is generally only recommended for small images.

What characters are in Base64?

The Base64 alphabet consists of A-Z, a-z, 0-9, plus '+', '/', and '=' for padding. These 64 characters were chosen because they're common to most character encodings and are printable.