Base64 Encoder / Decoder

Encode or decode Base64, both ways.

Encode text to Base64 or decode a Base64 string back to text.

How it works

Encoding converts your text to bytes (UTF-8) and represents every 3 bytes as 4 characters from a 64-character alphabet. Decoding reverses the process.

When it helps

Base64 appears in email attachments, data URIs, basic auth headers and API payloads. This lets you inspect or create it quickly.

Where you'll meet Base64

Base64 turns any data into plain letters, digits, '+' and '/', so it can travel safely through systems that only expect text. Email attachments are encoded this way, images can be embedded in web pages as data URIs, and HTTP Basic Authentication sends 'username:password' as Base64.

Values that end in one or two '=' signs are a strong hint you're looking at Base64. The equals signs are padding added when the input length isn't a multiple of three bytes.

Worked example

Encoding 'Hi!' produces 'SGkh'. Encoding 'Merhaba dünya' works too, because the tool converts text to UTF-8 first, so letters like ü, ş and ğ survive the round trip. Decoding 'SGVsbG8=' gives back 'Hello'.

If decoding produces strange characters, the input may not be text at all — it could be an image or other binary data encoded as Base64.

Frequently asked questions

Is Base64 encryption?

No. It's an encoding anyone can reverse, so never use it to protect secrets.

Why is the output longer?

Base64 output is about 33% larger than the input.

What is Base64URL?

A variant that uses '-' and '_' instead of '+' and '/' so the result is safe in URLs. It's used in JSON Web Tokens (JWT).

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