Encode or decode data using the standard Base64 algorithm. The most common binary-to-text encoding scheme for the web.
2026-03-28T00:00:00Z
Supports standard ASCII and UTF-8 text, including accented characters, symbols, and emoji
Base64 is a group of binary-to-text encoding schemes that represent binary data in an ASCII string format by translating it into a radix-64 representation. The term Base64 originates from a specific MIME content transfer encoding.
It is commonly used when there is a need to encode binary data that needs to be stored and transferred over media that are designed to deal with text. This ensures that the data remains intact without modification during transport. Base64 encoding is widely used in email via MIME, storing complex data in XML or JSON, embedding images in HTML/CSS (data URIs), and transmitting binary data over text-based protocols.
Unlike encryption, Base64 encoding is not a security measure. It simply converts data into a different format. The encoding is reversible and provides no confidentiality or integrity protection. This tool supports standard ASCII and UTF-8 text; complex binary formats like images require additional processing.
Base64 encoding follows a systematic process:
The standard Base64 alphabet consists of 64 characters:
Let's encode the word "Man":
No, Base64 is an encoding scheme, not encryption. It does not provide security, confidentiality, or secrecy. Anyone can easily decode Base64 data. Use encryption algorithms like AES or RSA for security.
Padding with "=" characters ensures the encoded string has a length that is a multiple of 4. This helps decoders determine exactly how many bits were in the original data, especially when the input length is not divisible by 3.
Base64 is frequently used to represent binary files like images, PDFs, and audio as text. This text-only tool works with text input and output, so raw binary files would need separate file-processing steps before or after conversion.
Standard Base64 is not URL-safe because it uses "+" and "/" characters which have special meaning in URLs. A URL-safe variant (RFC 4648 §5) replaces these with "-" and "_" for safe use in URLs and filenames.
No, Base64 actually expands data size by approximately 33%. Every 3 bytes of input becomes 4 bytes of output. It is used for compatibility with text-based systems, not compression.
Use Base64 when you need to transmit binary data through text-only channels such as email, JSON, or XML, embed images in CSS or HTML, or safely move byte-oriented content through systems that expect text.
Switch to Decode mode in this tool and paste your Base64 string. The process reverses the encoding by converting Base64 characters back to bytes and then decoding those bytes as UTF-8 text.
Base64 uses 64 characters: uppercase A-Z (26), lowercase a-z (26), digits 0-9 (10), plus "+" and "/" (2). The "=" character is used only for padding, not encoding actual data.
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