Base64 encode and decode online
Paste text to encode to Base64, or a Base64 string to decode it back. Supports accented characters (UTF-8) and runs entirely in your browser.
What it is for
The Base64 tool encodes a text into its Base64 representation and also decodes it back to the original content. Paste the text, choose encode or decode and copy the result.
Base64 turns any data into a sequence of text-safe characters (letters, digits, + and /), which lets you carry binary content over channels that only accept text.
When to use
- Embed images or fonts in CSS and HTML using data URIs.
- Build the Basic Auth header, which encodes user:password in Base64.
- Transmit binary content as text in JSON, email or APIs.
- Inspect parts of a token or encoded payload.
Base64 is not encryption
This is the most important point: Base64 is just a reversible encoding, not a form of protection. Anyone can decode the result back to the original in seconds, with no key or password.
Never use Base64 to hide passwords, tokens or sensitive data. For that, use real encryption. Base64 only represents data, it does not protect it.
Privacy
All encoding and decoding happens in your browser, with nothing sent to servers. You can work with internal content without it ever leaving your computer.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Base64 protect my data?
- No. Base64 is just a reversible encoding, anyone can decode it back. To protect data, use encryption, not Base64.
- What is a data URI for?
- A data URI embeds content (an image, for example) directly into HTML or CSS as Base64, avoiding an extra request to the server.
- Is the text sent to any server?
- No. Encoding and decoding happen entirely in your browser.