Base64 Encode / Decode
Convert text to Base64 or decode Base64 back to plain text.
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Encode text to Base64 or decode a Base64 string back to readable text in one click, with full Unicode (UTF-8) support. It is handy for encoding tokens, embedding data, or decoding values from APIs and config files. The conversion runs in your browser, so your input is never uploaded.
What Base64 is actually for
Base64 rewrites data using only 64 safe characters, letters, digits, plus and slash. It exists because plenty of systems were designed to carry text and break when handed raw binary. Email attachments, data embedded in HTML or CSS, JSON payloads carrying a file, and HTTP basic authentication headers all use it. The point is safe transport through a text channel, nothing more.
Base64 is not encryption
This is the misconception worth killing. Base64 has no key and no secret. Anyone who sees an encoded string can decode it instantly, including with this tool. It offers exactly zero security. Encoding a password or an API key in Base64 and calling it protected is a real mistake that appears in real codebases. If something must be kept secret, it needs encryption, and Base64 is not that.
Practical notes
- Encoded output is about 33 percent larger than the input, which is the cost of the safety.
- Trailing equals signs are padding, and they are part of the string.
- URLs need a variant that swaps plus and slash for minus and underscore.
- Decoding fails on a truncated string, so copy the whole thing including padding.
How to use Base64 Encode / Decode
- 1
Paste your text or Base64 string.
- 2
Choose Encode or Decode.
- 3
Copy the result.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The encoder uses UTF-8, so emojis and any language encode and decode correctly.