🔐 Base64 Encoder / Decoder
Instantly encode text to Base64 or decode Base64 back to plain text. Free, no ads, works offline in your browser.
What is Base64 Encoding?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format by translating it into a radix-64 representation. It is commonly used to encode data that needs to be stored and transferred over media designed to deal with textual data, such as embedding images in HTML, CSS, or sending attachments via email (MIME).
Our free online Base64 encoder/decoder tool lets you quickly convert any text string to Base64 and decode any valid Base64 string back to readable text.
No data is sent to any server – all processing happens directly in your browser using JavaScript's built-in btoa() and atob() functions.
Why Use Base64?
- Data Integrity: Safely transmit binary data over text-based protocols like HTTP, SMTP, or JSON.
- Embedding Resources: Convert images or files to Base64 strings and embed them directly into HTML, CSS, or XML.
- Simple Obfuscation: While not encryption, it can hide plain text from casual inspection (e.g., in configuration files).
- URL Encoding: Encode data for use in URLs (after making it URL-safe if needed).
How to Use This Tool
- Select Encode or Decode mode.
- Enter your text or Base64 string in the input box.
- Click Convert – the result appears instantly.
- Use the Copy button to copy the output to your clipboard.
- Clear the fields anytime with the Clear button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Base64 encryption?
No, Base64 is not encryption. It’s a reversible encoding with no security key. Anyone can decode it back to the original text. Use proper encryption (like AES) if security is required.
Can I encode images or files?
This tool works with text strings. For binary files, you would need a file-to-Base64 converter. However, you can still paste a Base64 string (without the data URI prefix) and decode it to see the raw text representation.
Why do I get an "Invalid Base64" error?
Decoding fails when the input string is not a valid Base64 string. It may contain characters outside the A–Z, a–z, 0–9, +, /, = set, or its length is incorrect. Make sure you’ve copied the complete string.
Is it safe to use online?
Absolutely. No data leaves your browser. All encoding and decoding happen locally using JavaScript. You can even disconnect from the internet and it will still work.
