Base64 Encode & Decode

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that converts binary data into ASCII characters. It uses 64 characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) to represent data, making it safe for transmission in text-based protocols like email and URLs.

URL-safe Base64 replaces '+' with '-' and '/' with '_', and removes trailing '=' padding. This makes the encoded string safe for use in URLs and filenames without requiring additional encoding.

No! Base64 is an encoding, not encryption. Anyone can decode Base64 data. It's meant for data transport, not security. For encryption, use AES, RSA, or similar algorithms.

Base64 represents 3 bytes of data using 4 ASCII characters, resulting in roughly 33% size increase. This is the trade-off for making binary data text-safe.

Yes! Use the file upload button to select any file. The tool will convert it to a Base64 string. This is useful for embedding small images or files in HTML, CSS, or JSON.

Standard Base64 uses 64 characters: uppercase A-Z (26), lowercase a-z (26), digits 0-9 (10), plus (+), and forward slash (/). The equals sign (=) is used for padding. URL-safe Base64 replaces + with - and / with _ to avoid conflicts with URL encoding, and typically omits the padding characters.

Standard Base64 (RFC 4648 Section 4) uses + and / characters that have special meaning in URLs and filenames. URL-safe Base64 (RFC 4648 Section 5) replaces these with - and _, making the encoded string safe for use in URLs, query parameters, and filenames without requiring additional percent-encoding.

Yes, you can encode any binary file — images, PDFs, executables, archives — to Base64. Use the file upload button to select your file. The tool reads the file in your browser and converts it to a Base64 string. Keep in mind that Base64 encoding increases the size by approximately 33%, so very large files will produce very large strings.