Base64 Encoder & Decoder
Encode text to Base64 or decode Base64 back to plain text. Supports UTF-8 characters.
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 to encode data for transmission over media designed to handle text, such as embedding images in HTML/CSS, storing binary data in JSON, or transmitting data in URLs.
Common Use Cases
- Data URIs — Embed images directly in HTML/CSS:
data:image/png;base64,iVBORw... - API Authentication — Encode username:password for HTTP Basic Auth headers
- JSON Data — Safely include binary data in JSON payloads
- Email Attachments — MIME encoding for email attachments
- JWT Tokens — Encode the payload section of JSON Web Tokens
- CSS Backgrounds — Inline small icons and images to reduce HTTP requests
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Base64 encryption?
No. Base64 is encoding, not encryption. It provides no security — anyone can decode Base64 back to the original text. It's designed for data transport, not data protection.
Why does Base64 increase the data size?
Base64 uses 4 characters to represent 3 bytes of data, resulting in approximately 33% size increase. This is the trade-off for making binary data safe for text-based protocols.
Is this tool free?
Yes, completely free, no limits, no registration. All processing happens in your browser.
Does it support UTF-8 characters like emojis?
Yes. The tool uses the browser's built-in UTF-8 encoding, so it correctly handles emojis, Chinese characters, and other non-ASCII text.