Base64 Encoder and Decoder
Convert text to Base64 and back. Unicode is handled properly, so emoji and Indian-language text survive the round trip intact.
Encoding is UTF-8 safe, so emoji, Devanagari and other non-Latin text round-trip correctly. Base64 is an encoding, not encryption — anyone can decode it, so never use it to hide secrets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Base64 used for?
Carrying binary data through channels that only accept text — email attachments, data URIs in CSS and HTML, JSON payloads, and HTTP basic authentication headers.
What does URL-safe mean?
Standard Base64 uses + and / which have special meanings in URLs, and = padding which often gets mangled. URL-safe Base64 swaps them for - and _ and drops the padding, so the string can be dropped into a query parameter or path segment unchanged.
Is Base64 a form of encryption?
No, and it is important not to confuse the two. Base64 is a reversible encoding with no key. Anyone who sees the string can decode it in seconds, so never use it to protect passwords or personal data.
Why does Base64 make data bigger?
It represents every three bytes as four characters, so the output is about 33% larger than the input. That overhead is the price of making binary data safe to transmit as text.