Base64 Encoder & Decoder
Encode any text to Base64, or paste Base64 to decode it back to plain text. It is UTF-8 safe, so emoji and accented characters make the round trip perfectly — and every byte is processed right here in your browser.
What is Base64?
Base64 is a way of representing arbitrary binary data using only 64 printable characters — the letters A–Z and a–z, the digits 0–9, plus + and /, with = used for padding. It exists because many systems were built to move text safely but choke on raw bytes. By packing every 3 bytes into 4 text characters, Base64 lets you shuttle images, keys and any binary blob through channels that only expect plain text.
You have almost certainly seen it without noticing: email attachments (MIME), data: URLs that embed small images directly in a web page, JSON Web Tokens, and TLS certificates in PEM format are all Base64. Encoding Hi gives you SGk=, and decoding SGk= gives you Hi right back.
Because it is trivially reversible, Base64 provides zero secrecy — anyone can decode it in one click, exactly like this tool does. Use it to transport data, never to protect it. If you need real protection, reach for encryption or a hash. This is a common security misconception worth remembering.
Why UTF-8 safety matters
Naive Base64 tools break the moment you feed them an emoji or an accented letter, because they treat each character as a single byte. This converter first turns your text into proper UTF-8 bytes with TextEncoder, then Base64-encodes those bytes — and reverses the process with TextDecoder on the way back. That means café 🐾 encodes and decodes without a single mangled character.
Base64 travels across the web constantly, riding inside HTTP requests and responses. If you want the bigger picture of how those requests move, our guides on HTTP vs HTTPS and what is TLS/SSL explain the layers your encoded data passes through.
Working with other encodings? The Hex to Text converter and the URL Encoder & Decoder are close cousins of this tool. As always, everything runs locally in your browser — nothing you paste is uploaded, logged or stored, so it is safe for private tokens and works offline.
Frequently asked questions
Is Base64 a form of encryption?
No. Base64 is an encoding, not encryption. It rearranges bytes into a text-safe alphabet but adds no secrecy at all — anyone can decode it back in one step. Never use Base64 to protect passwords or sensitive data; use real encryption or hashing for that.
Does this tool handle emoji and accented characters?
Yes. It encodes text as UTF-8 bytes using TextEncoder before Base64-encoding, and decodes with TextDecoder, so emoji, accents and non-Latin scripts survive the round trip intact instead of turning into garbled characters.
Why did decoding fail with an error?
Decoding fails if the input is not valid Base64 — for example if it contains characters outside A–Z, a–z, 0–9, + and /, or has an incorrect length or padding. Check for stray characters or truncated text. Whitespace is ignored automatically.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. All encoding and decoding runs locally in your browser with JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device, is never uploaded and is never stored, so it is safe for private content and even works offline.
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